What would it cost

[Yuri_Armstrong]

To have a full menagerie of space infrastructure- the ISS for science, and orbital construction facility, an orbital launch faciility, a space hotel for tourists, and a moon base? Would the costs for all of this be justifiable?

 

[Valcan]

To have a full menagerie of space infrastructure- the ISS for science, and orbital construction facility, an orbital launch faciility, a space hotel for tourists, and a moon base? Would the costs for all of this be justifiable?

Well as for the bigelow hotel he's plannin on renting moduals out to countries that cant afford their own launch infestructure but want to do space research. There are quite a few who would do so i believe.

The others could if they boosted Nasa's budget to something sane like 40 bil or so. :roll:

 

[SteveCNC]

I think it would be impossible to completely quantify cost/value of the entire space infrastructure present and future . And as for justifiable , well that comes down to opinion about what it all brings to mankind's present and future . We can all look back now and say what great things came from the opening of air travel , so what will we look back and say about the opening of space travel ? It's hard to say right now , but I like to think it will be good things .

 

[vulture4]

If the hotel is for tourists it wouldn't be on the NASA budget. Assuming four guests arrive every two weeks and pay $5 million each the space motel might pull in $500 million a year, but inexpensive launch services would have to be part of the deal. I do not believe there is a sufficient market at $20 million, which is the cost suggested by Space Adventures and more recently by SpaceX.

 

[Yuri_Armstrong]

But if NASA did include a space hotel on its budget it could use the revenue from the project to offset some of the costs. Assuming launch costs become cheaper of course.

 

[gap134]

But if NASA did include a space hotel on its budget it could use the revenue from the project to offset some of the costs. Assuming launch costs become cheaper of course.

LOL! NASA doesn't want to have anything to do with a space hotel. :lol:

 

[vulture4]

I certainly agree that NASA isn't going to run a space motel. However the motel can't succeed with expendable launch technology because there aren't enough people willing to pay $20M for a space vacation. However if a less expensive technolgy based on RLVs can be developed, then space tourism could become viable. Performing R&D and assisting private industry in developing practical reusable aerospace vehicles with lower operational cost has been a NASA mission since its founding in 1915, and could help the US develop a new industry that would help our balance of payments. Therefore NASA should use tax dollars to help Bigelow, Musk, Rutan and others develop the required technology. We should do this promptly and efficiently but aggressively. Similarly other NASA applications programs including weather satellites should get more support and more leadership attention.

In contrast, building the Ares and Orion capsule, which would have a seat cost to LEO of over $50 million, would contribute nothing to US exports. The HLV, which would have a launch cost well in excess of $1 billion, would not be marketable for commercial satellite launch. While assertions have been made that Constellation would provide assets such as helium-3, these assertions are not supported by even a superficial analysis of the technical and economic factors involved. If there's anyone online who can provide any analysis showing a positive financial return for the elements of Constellation that are sitll funded, I would be very interested in seening it.

 

[Yuri_Armstrong]

Well since CxP is going to be cancelled, I'm assuming they're following the private-public cooperation path to reduce launch costs. I'm sorry but $1 billion is just ridiculous for one launch.