Recent content by fj.torres

That exists. It is fracking: not only vertical, but horizontal drilling. And not just for oil and gas but for clean geothermal energy. And it works everywhere that is tectonically stable. Lots of projects are ongoing right now, in Canada, Germany, and this one in Utah...

It's not the star, it is the planet. Even if we don't destroy it, there's a dozen natural disasters that can end the species if we don't expand. Beyond that, the nature of human cultures is expand or stagnate and collapse. Add in the inherently tribal nature of the species and conflicts are...

And a better pick. Isaacman understands both sides of the NASA Mission, aero as well as space.

Musk can afford it. His rocket is designed to be cheap and fast to produce. And he has four in the pipeline waiting to go. If he "wastes" a rocket the experience and data is worth more than the few million it costs. That is what makes his calculated risks pay off. Blue Origin reportedly took...

Yes, it is a space forum. But today's launch vehicles aren't, strictly speaking, rockets like the chinese or katyushas but more properly guided missiles and, more specific to the latest generations, they are robots. And reusing fly stages was not a production technique until recently, DC-X Delta...

At ULA, Old Space in general, or the world outside the Beltway? 'Cause pretty much elsewhere things are radically different and not just in tech. It would take the better part of the day to list the things--political, social, economical, medical, and technological that have changed in the last...

Jeeze! Talk of a solution in search of a problem. The DOD already has this "problem" under control without throwing billions at a failing company a decade behind the times. To clarify: the issue isn't about the vulnerability of a single satellite but rather the vulnerability of the system. And...

As shown the module is tiny, system power low, not enough docking ports. And too expensive for what you get. https://www.eoportal.org/ftp/satellite-missions/g/Gateway_160622/Gateway_Auto3.jpeg Looks more like MIR than a proper 21st century design. 60 KW power is barely a quarter of ISS...

A lunar Space Station? Yes, by all means. The current design, no. Too small, too limited. The thing might not even be able to safely dock with HLS. Any space station, whether lunar, LEO, or GEO (also needed) needs to be bigger than a starship useful volume. Otherwise, why bother? One could...

Here is the Musk reply to the blue origin claim: https://www.universetoday.com/152220/musk-says-that-refueling-starship-for-lunar-landings-will-take-8-launches-maybe-4/ 8 (first gen prototypes) to refill the tanks to full, 4 to half. And if anything, full tanks would be carrying unnecessary...

Yeah, HLS. Oopsie. Got the soon to dead SLM, the launch mount, on the brain. 🙄 That is $2B in savings right there. And you are right: there is no reason for the ablative shields to be a problem since it is 60's tech. That is why I assume it is a quality control problem: all the panels that...

That is FUD. Musk debunked it right away. First of all, they're extrapolating off the First gen *prototypes*. The final version will have much power engines and bigger tanks. HLS will be a *derivative* of the latter. Second, no; HLS won't need full tanks for its planned Artemis 3 mission since...

There is a recurring scenario in SF of a colonization STL generation ship arriving at its target planet only to find it already colonized via FTL. (Most recently as a sidequest in the STARFIELD RPG.) New tech always upstages the old ways. It's the circle of life, tech division. The entire...

TBD. But it is likely he won't be too fond of spending big money on the new launch Mount and SLS post Artemis 3. Especially if he still rides crew Starship. (That is likely off the table if he gets confirmed.) Remember that the purpose of the commercial space initiatives is to free up cash for...

Well, his space missions to date have been more than joyrides. He and his crews have performed both orbital science and community outreach to the young. Being at NASA amplifies his ability to see both done. Plus he gets to *try* to deal with some of the agency's suboptimal projects to free up...