Let’s get the ball rolling - A real space faring society!

[voyager4d]

It is sad to see so much negativity. Why is the glass always half empty?
We need to have faith in what the future will bring in space travel.
It seems a lot of people don’t want to give up the dream that was Constellation. It was a dream not because of its goal, but because of the technology chosen. Technology that would have made any realistic exploration impossible, because it would have been too expensive to operate. And even if it had gotten funding enough to operate, there wouldn’t have been any funding left for any real advances in space tech.

The Constellation program was just about the most expensive way possible to go nowhere slowly.

Instead of this dream, we now have a program that heavily invests in lowering the price of access to space, so we can have an economically reliable space exploration.

In the next 10 years we will see a huge increase in rocket taking off from US soil. Most of these extra rockets will go to ISS and to the coming Bigelow stations (yes more that 1).
This extra activity alone will help lowering the price of access to space, and really kick-start the space economy.

I think this can get the ball rolling, so we can become a real space faring society and boldly go where no one has gone before. Let’s take a positive look at our future, what do you think will happen in the next 10 years?

 

[neutrino78x]

I agree!!!! I would like to see people blasting off into space, from US soil, on US made rockets, every week, or even every day. The Obama Administration may be remembered as the one which correctly oriented NASA for the 21st century.

--Brian

 

[EarthlingX]

And i would like to see everyone with peaceful intentions being able to buy them. Leasing works too.

 

[emudude]

My fingers are definitely crossed...I want to experience space before I die (hopefully another 60+ years ). Launch will only be cheap when mass-produced SSTO crafts are produced, and my money is on a craft which isn't a rocket, due to their extreme complexities and, consequentially, their extreme expense. If our gas-powered cars use less than 1% of their fuel for actually moving forward, how can we expect a gas-powered rocket to turn us into a space faring society?

 

[voyager4d]

Launch will only be cheap when mass-produced SSTO crafts are produced, and my money is on a craft which isn't a rocket, due to their extreme complexities and, consequentially, their extreme expense.

Expendable rockets will properly never be cheap, but they can definitely become a lot cheaper than they are now. Some of the key points to do that:
1) High fly rate = mass production.
2) Low maintenance requirements.
3) Quick turn around time. (Quicker from production to launch)
4) More competition.
5) In-house production (can lead to lower prices on some parts).
6) Multiple smaller rocket motors (instead of one big) = mass production.
7) Low complexity (KISS) - rocket, launch operation and launch pad.

 

[Valcan]

Launch will only be cheap when mass-produced SSTO crafts are produced, and my money is on a craft which isn't a rocket, due to their extreme complexities and, consequentially, their extreme expense.

Expendable rockets will properly never be cheap, but they can definitely become a lot cheaper than they are now. Some of the key points to do that:
1) High fly rate = mass production.
2) Low maintenance requirements.
3) Quick turn around time. (Quicker from production to launch)
4) More competition.
5) In-house production (can lead to lower prices on some parts).
6) Multiple smaller rocket motors (instead of one big) = mass production.
7) Low complexity (KISS) - rocket, launch operation and launch pad.

Your forgetting the biggest one i think.

Low ground crew. Ground crews suck up $$$ like no tomarrow.

 

[voyager4d]

Your forgetting the biggest one i think.

Low ground crew. Ground crews suck up $$$ like no tomarrow.

I didn't say it directly, but it was part of 2 and 7.

 

[Stellar_Optimist]

As far as the next 10 years goes, I see us getting the VASIMR engine tested on the ISS, and possibly the first forays into exploring the feasibility of space resources exploitation, also called asteroid mining. This would be a logical development to parallel the idea of space-based production of space stations and large space vehicles, as we could have the materials produced in orbit instead of being hauled up out of the Earth's gravity well at huge expense. I can't see NASA putting forward the first asteroid mining mission, so this will be largely up to the private sector, perhaps with a primer mission done in collaboration with NASA to test the idea. As more companies set their eyes on space, I think the mineral and manufacturing companies would be smart to jump on the bandwagon and push the limits to help build a truly space faring society.

 

[Valcan]

As far as the next 10 years goes, I see us getting the VASIMR engine tested on the ISS, and possibly the first forays into exploring the feasibility of space resources exploitation, also called asteroid mining. This would be a logical development to parallel the idea of space-based production of space stations and large space vehicles, as we could have the materials produced in orbit instead of being hauled up out of the Earth's gravity well at huge expense. I can't see NASA putting forward the first asteroid mining mission, so this will be largely up to the private sector, perhaps with a primer mission done in collaboration with NASA to test the idea. As more companies set their eyes on space, I think the mineral and manufacturing companies would be smart to jump on the bandwagon and push the limits to help build a truly space faring society.

I could as long as the wrong people arent in office (meaning people beholden to the keep space pristene) see Nasa and maybe even a few other groups going in to fund a mission to focus on extracting resources from the NEO's. I figure that the Military might like the idea. RODS from god and all that.

BTW Could we use a few bigelow moduals and a vasimr drive to reach the NEO? Maybe use something like powered sleds to get to and from the surface of the asteroid.

 

[Stellar_Optimist]

BTW Could we use a few bigelow moduals and a vasimr drive to reach the NEO? Maybe use something like powered sleds to get to and from the surface of the asteroid.

It is possible, but if you want to use the VASIMR as a high-speed transit mechanism, it will need to either stop accelerating when it is halfway to its target, or use a very effective rocket braking system when it nears its target. I think the Bigelow modules would hold up fairly well, we just need to have a way to shield them from cosmic radiation. If Bigelow were to produce a shielded model, they could well be the answer to a lower cost, manned interplanetary craft.

 

[voyager4d]

If Bigelow were to produce a shielded model, they could well be the answer to a lower cost, manned interplanetary craft.

As far as I know there modules are already better shielded from radiation and space debris than the ISS modules. They can properly make it even better for a interplanerary craft.

 

[MeteorWayne]

I agree!!!! I would like to see people blasting off into space, from US soil, on US made rockets, every week, or even every day. The Obama Administration may be remembered as the one which correctly oriented NASA for the 21st century.

--Brian

Going where, and for what purpose? Until there's a reason for such a launch rate, there's no reason to do it.

 

[StarRider1701]

I agree!!!! I would like to see people blasting off into space, from US soil, on US made rockets, every week, or even every day. The Obama Administration may be remembered as the one which correctly oriented NASA for the 21st century.

--Brian

Going where, and for what purpose? Until there's a reason for such a launch rate, there's no reason to do it.

How about going to the Caesar's Palace Hilton, the first Resort Hotel Casino in Space, touting the greatest view in the Universe! As someone else asked in response to a similar post MW, do you always have to be such a downer? Some things are just worth doing.

 

[neutrino78x]

Going where, and for what purpose? Until there's a reason for such a launch rate, there's no reason to do it.

How about going to the Caesar's Palace Hilton, the first Resort Hotel Casino in Space, touting the greatest view in the Universe! As someone else asked in response to a similar post MW, do you always have to be such a downer? Some things are just worth doing.

Exactly!!! Or perhaps, at first, the Bigelow Space Hotel.

--Brian

 

[PiotrSatan]

I believe that not the expenses hold our advance, but our fragile equipment. Do you know how often do space instruments mess up? I mean, they are self-sufficient, but if practically, ANYTHING can mess them up, then what do you expect? Our technology is great, that's true, but we need to upgrade it to last longer. Until we develop nanotechnology on the level where we built shuttles - I do not think we should ever go back, would be very risky and waste of resources.

 

[General_Kenobi]

voyager4d, your 2nd sentence says it all. You are asking people of science to have "faith."
I got this from a movie, I can't remember which one, though..."I once had a girlfriend named Faith. She cheated on me with a girl named Chastity."

 

[voyager4d]

voyager4d, your 2nd sentence says it all. You are asking people of science to have "faith."
I got this from a movie, I can't remember which one, though..."I once had a girlfriend named Faith. She cheated on me with a girl named Chastity."

lol. I see the problem there.

When I se so many possitive things happening right now, it is hard to read all this negative stuff.
Like commercials will fail and we are all gona die...

 

[nimbus]

I agree!!!! I would like to see people blasting off into space, from US soil, on US made rockets, every week, or even every day. The Obama Administration may be remembered as the one which correctly oriented NASA for the 21st century.

--Brian

Going where, and for what purpose? Until there's a reason for such a launch rate, there's no reason to do it.

How about going to the Caesar's Palace Hilton, the first Resort Hotel Casino in Space, touting the greatest view in the Universe! As someone else asked in response to a similar post MW, do you always have to be such a downer? Some things are just worth doing.

1% for NASA is worth doing. What can we say about public will and interest in doing it?

 

[neutrino78x]

1% for NASA is worth doing. What can we say about public will and interest in doing it?

Yeah but what we're talking about would be done by private enterprise. The Bigelow/Hilton space hotel would not be built by NASA, and it would be private citizens who went there...hopefully, people of low income will eventually be able to stay at such hotels!

--Brian