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The major problem isn't going up; it is coming back down; solution! build a spacestation up in orbit that has heat shield reentry capsules to come back down; you say, where to get the materials? From outer space! Basically, private space companies can build a space station in orbit by launching rocket augmented/scramjet modules in orbit; these would be closed system environments good enough to reach the asteroid orbiting behind the earth(don't know it's exact technical designation, but I'm sure you've heard of it), tap its resources for the reentry(if needed/wanted); basically, we're not talking about coming back to earth; we're talking about colonizing outerspace! What becomes of the launcher? It gets recycled - something quite possible in outer space. What of the heatshield spacecapsules to come down to earth if/when needed? They can also get scrapped by the coming nanotechnologies(basic nanotechnology; not Feynman nanotech). Just by tapping the resources of the local asteroids, we can build big and sophisticated enough spacestations to launch all over the solar system, including some form of marsdirect!
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I do think that you are a troll or something
[i]"The power of accurate observation is often called cynicism by those that do not have it." - George Bernard Shaw[/i]
[i]The glass is at 50% of capacity[/i]
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let me guess, you prefer next generation and/or even later star treks to the orginal?!
Or? Are you a vagueness monger?
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ohhhhkay... methinks that some kind of chemical agent is at work
[i]"The power of accurate observation is often called cynicism by those that do not have it." - George Bernard Shaw[/i]
[i]The glass is at 50% of capacity[/i]
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your the conditioned one!
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ok, which asteroid would you pick and exactly how would you do it?
http://neat.jpl.nasa.gov/
doh, wrong site http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/
play with me! [url]http://www.augmenton.net[/url]
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Moon sooner and takes less time than asteroids.
Part of near Earth infrastructure of cyclers and
electric launch of products from Moon factories.
The supply line to asteroids is too long.
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It appears someone has started to miss the debates between myself and GCNRevenger. He/She and I have obviously gotten tired of them. Those arguments are no longer civil, stop trying to stir up trouble.
Flashgordon brought out my ideas but mixed them up a strange way. Yes, mining Near Earth Asteroids can be profitable now. Notice I said Near, not main belt asteroids. Bring material back to Earth is something you have be careful with, traditional rocket technology is too expensive. Sending a Space Shuttle up is way to expensive for materials sold for their commodity value. You can make an aeroshell (that means heat shield and back shell) from inconel alloy. Just drop those in a trajectory to crash into an empty stretch of dessert. The metal of the aeroshell can also be melted down and sold.
However, recycling the launcher? The bulk of a big rocket does not make it to space; it falls back to Earth. You can't recycle the stages of an Ariane, Proton, Delta, Atlas, or any other big dumb rocket. Space Shuttle carries its external tank so close to orbit that many people have been tempted to try to use it for a space station module. However, its foam doesn't even survive the launch much less the micrometeoroids, high UV or temperature cycles of space. If you built the ET robust enough to survive as a module it would be so heavy the Shuttle would never make it to space. Remember how big the ET is, a small increase in per area mass translates to a big total. You can build a self-launching space station, but that would be a purpose-built vehicle, not a satellite launcher.
Nanotechnlogy? Please. The only successful nanotech is in carefully controlled conditions in a clean room in a lab.
Scramjet? That's expensive and only useful for a fully reusable vehicle. Expect that to power a vehicle for humans, a crew taxi or passenger shuttle to LEO. Anything that uses air-breathing engines can't work outside the atmosphere, dragging the mass of wings, heat shield, air-breathing engines, or any other atmospheric stuff beyond LEO is stupid. But you can ferry crew or space tourists to LEO and back. That's all. Expect space hotel modules or satellites will still be launched with big, dumb rockets.
And please don't confuse fiction with fact. Star Trek or other TV shows are just fiction. Documentaries and news programs can provide useful information, but fiction is just a story somebody made up. You can enjoy watching it but confusing it with discussions of science, engineering or commercial business plans only results in you loosing all credibility.
The particular asteroid that flashgordon mentioned is asteroid 3753 Cruithne. It has a bizarre orbit that dances around the Earth. More information here. That web page states they found another asteroid in a similar orbit, called asteroid 2002 AA29. The page also says they're looking at 3 more to determine their exact orbits. The big catch is we don't know what kind of asteroid these are. Do they have any useful materials on them? You will have to send a prospecting probe to find out.
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I see it as an issue of expanding in an expedient, cost effective way.
Near Earth first because it is quick and various projects overlap.
Time is money. Control from the Moon enables other projects.
"with the Russians claiming that the answer to all our energy problems is tied to having bases on the moon, it’s clear that the big sell for the next space race has begun."
build a spacestation up in orbit that has heat shield reentry capsules
The idea has merit, just dock into a re entry station, like a subway transfer station.
Maybe even decelerate into an evacuated ramp from space to Earth.
Instead of a heat shield, use a linear motor to brake.
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The best way to get space paid for is to quit playing house on Devon island--and save the money wasted there on hookers and private eyes to entrap senators.
Fund CaLV or your wife gets the pictures.
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I'd like to say that I did not see or read any previous discussion with avenger about private space colonization.
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I'd like to say that I did not see or read any previous discussion with avenger about private space colonization.
Just ignore it !
Most ideas come from other web pages, impossible to read all.
Some think they are important and all their ideas need to be remembered and credited.
Focus on concepts not on pecking order.
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