A Free Country in Free Space

From: Dr. Omni [mailto:dromni@...]

> * Advances in energy generation, above and beyond fission.

This is meaningless. We need no magical source of energy to get into space.

True. Indeed, pursuit of new energy sources in space may well be a driving
force sending us into space.

I think this person is expecting that fusion rockets will make space travel
inexpensive. First, we have no reason to expect any sudden breakthroughs in
fusion. Second, even if commercial fusion reactors become feasible in the
near term, making a fision rocket may remain a difficult proposition for
quite some time thereafter.

> * Advances in the production of space-suitable materials and of
> devices/craft made of such material -- things are too labor intensive
> now.

I'm not sure if I understood this item. Is it suggesting that many things in
aerospace industry are made in a "handcraft", and therefore expensive, way?
I don't know if that is an accurate description of the present state of this
industry...

I'd say it is. The "Rocket a Day" paper suggested that even expendable
rockets would bring launch costs down to what we want if only they were
being cranked out on a mass-production assembly line at the rate of at least
one a day.

Then there's inspections and launch. Obviously any system which involves
hundreds of technicians and engineers crawling all over the vehicle before
and after each launch is never going to be economical.

Regards,

Mike Combs

From:
Dr. Omni [mailto:dromni@...]
> * Advances in energy generation, above and beyond fission.
This is meaningless. We need no magical source of energy to get into space.

True. Indeed, pursuit of new energy sources in space may well be a driving force sending us into space.

I think this person is expecting that fusion rockets will make space travel inexpensive. First, we have no reason to expect any sudden breakthroughs in fusion. Second, even if commercial fusion reactors become feasible in the near term, making a fision rocket may remain a difficult proposition for quite some time thereafter.
> * Advances in the production of space-suitable materials and of
> devices/craft made of such material -- things are too labor intensive
> now.
I'm not sure if I understood this item. Is it suggesting that many things in
aerospace industry are made in a "handcraft", and therefore expensive, way?
I don't know if that is an accurate description of the present state of this
industry...

I'd say it is. The "Rocket a Day" paper suggested that even expendable rockets would bring launch costs down to what we want if only they were being cranked out on a mass-production assembly line at the rate of at least one a day.

Then there's inspections and launch. Obviously any system which involves hundreds of technicians and engineers crawling all over the vehicle before and after each launch is never going to be economical.

Regards,
Mike Combs