tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6651530963401920962.post303062818626114131..comments2023-11-02T06:56:08.412-07:00Comments on Al's Politics: New Space Policy Targets LaunchAl Globushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03168040644355446211noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6651530963401920962.post-87801090401350459162011-04-18T08:19:57.754-07:002011-04-18T08:19:57.754-07:00On starting small: I think it ain't gonna work...On starting small: I think it ain't gonna work. The environmental impact of 75,000 launches?!!! Not to mention the need to MAKE the heavies, fuel for them, and launch facilities? NO WAY!!!<br /><br />The realistic approach would be to build a Lofstrom loop in equatorial Africa or South America. Trouble is, it requires multibillion investment and international cooperation, and small startups don't have access to either. Some champion in government or UN is needed to get it moving. Otherwise, all we'll get is small wide-eyed operators giving SBSP the pie-in-the-sky reputation.Alexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13076464153340489316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6651530963401920962.post-64184964811751442952011-04-18T08:11:09.575-07:002011-04-18T08:11:09.575-07:00On Solaren: 200 MW they have contracted to sell wi...On Solaren: 200 MW they have contracted to sell will require collection of solar energy from ~1 sq.km.. 3-4 launches on currently available heavies get you 6-13 tons per launch in GEO. So the weight they can have is, at best, 52 g/sq.m.. That's the weight of 35-mkm thick mylar film. No supporting structures, nop PV, no transmitter, nothing.Alexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13076464153340489316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6651530963401920962.post-59233511288894327092010-04-13T06:08:16.305-07:002010-04-13T06:08:16.305-07:00Globus's article seems exactly right: entrepen...Globus's article seems exactly right: entrepeneurial competition can work wonders. The New York Times has some articles this week, in anticipation of President Obama's to trip to the Kennedy Space Center, that seem to be in agreement. <br /><br />Columnist John Tierney (13 Apr 2010 article <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/13/science/13tier.html" rel="nofollow">NASA, We've Got a Problem</a>) urges competition while giving NASA exciting goals. <br /><br />Writer Kenneth Chang (11 Apr 2010 article <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/12/science/space/12rocket.html" rel="nofollow">Aerospace Companies Express Doubt...</a>) describes the ambivalence that the large space companies feel about about the Obama competition proposal, preferring that NASA take on the financial risk since "Boeing and Lockheed were stung during the last burst of optimism for the commercial space business about a decade ago."Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08306262814161091633noreply@blogger.com