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Depending on the close encounter of these near Earth objects what is the distance relationship to Earth that would allow for it to be deflected by gravity either to be directed on a collision course or to be captured. Any references?

I was not quite sure of which topic to post this under but her goes.
We all know that developement of Nuclear power for space use is a must but in the same vein we know how dangerous it can be as well. Though a slow process of learning and or understanding we can build safer and more robust reactors. We must over come or fears of it for the eventual use of it in space to shorten the length of time to the planets and to give the much needed power resource for use for extended flights.

Analysis: Nuclear Power Gaining Popularity
http://www.spacedaily.com/news/nuclear-civil-04l.html

A lot of the designs have been tested within many of the universities and research labs but they have not been massed produced for real applied use.

Bureaucracy Pins Rocket to Earth, Da Vinci a privately developed spacecraft, still doesn't have a couple of precious pieces of paper it needs to get to space. I guess they feel that the rocket has not been though enough testing to ensure safety of crew and of flight area.

http://www.wired.com/news/space/0,2697, … _tophead_6

The problem with any colonization is trade routes must be established. That in itself would aid private and commercial business to finally join in because they can see a profit is to be made.

A launching pad from a moon base colony is only one thing that it could or should be doing the other is useful mineral export trade from Earth to the moon as well as from the moon the Mars. In addition Mars should and probably be doing the same thing with exporting similar minerals to the moon as well as to Earth if one only takes the time to look.

Why waist the time with sending any probes at all?

We do not need science to build, only mining or bull dozer equipment. We know where we want to be for the chance of water contained regolith at the poles in deep creaters. Pick one it has two of them to chose from.

What will be of need for telerobotics is networking of satelites to allow for constant communications.

Once the cave or mining hole is dug. Then what next? Man... and more.
Lets go....

NASA says it’s fixed shuttle foam problem
But astronauts can’t patch Columbia-level damage
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5831547/

Snipet last paragraph:
The space agency is aiming for three shuttle flights in 2005 and then five a year through 2010, by which time station construction should be completed. The three remaining shuttles will be retired at that point, and NASA’s focus will shift to flying to the moon and beyond that to Mars.

I do not see Nasa even coming close to the 5 missions a year because of the turn around times after each flight.

Batteries have a two fold effect when joined to solar array collectors, one is the storage of a charge for later use when the solar panel collections drop off but they also act like a capacitor in that they equalize the charge to an average voltage. So even if you throw out the batteries you would still need a large capacitance bank to equalize the voltage for use under changing loads.

Changing the rotation speed of a gyro changes the counter balancing response time.

So even if the Space Exploration Vision is mandated I still see a problem with execution of it. The first being Funding, the second being NASA and the third being lack of designed equipment to do the job of going.

In baseball that is three strikes and you are out.

Private industry might be able to do the last one but it will be the others that will stop any chance of getting it done.

True about the large hole cement but if you have ever done any auto bondo work you would know that it will not stay in the hole unless you put in some sort of backing materiel to aid with holding it in place.
Also a protective wrap that is used at launch need not be overly aggressive since it does not see the re-entry heat. We are not looking to protect the ship once in orbit with the wrap only on the way up.

Ball Aerospace needs room
Company eyes more space in Boulder in coming years

http://www.bouldernews.com/bdc....00.html

snipet:
One example of how times have changed: In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Ball Aerospace helped build solar observation crafts that stood about 5 feet tall. By comparison, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope — to which Ball Aerospace will add an optical subsystem before it launches in 2010 — towers five times that height.

Items that can change a good working model into an ineffective or non operative one.

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Fixing culture may be toughest task
http://www.flatoday.com/news....URE.htm

Snipet:
On the spring day when Discovery sits out there on its launch pad waiting to return to space, saying "go" or "no go" for launch won't be so hard.

Wayne Hale, a veteran shuttle flight director, is accustomed to making tough choices on the spot. Instead, for Hale, the stuff to sweat over includes the countless wrenching decisions that must be made during this two-plus years between the last shuttle flight and the next one.

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No rubber stamps
http://www.flatoday.com/news....TLE.htm

Snipet:
T-minus seven months and counting, or so NASA hopes.

The agency continues to press for a March or April liftoff of the first post-Columbia shuttle flight, which must go without a hitch for its manned spaceflight program to regain traction and credibility with the public.