It appears that Interstellar inadvertently vindicated

I've often wondered if maritime transport might be a better template,
specifically cargo ships. They don't have to be cutting edge, they can
be robust. In certain ways they don't have to be the most efficient -
except in the one that counts, the amount of cargo they can shift and
how cheaply they can do so. They wouldn't have to be the fastest method
either.

Consider a vehicle with a body shape similar to the Kankoh-maru scaled
up to take a payload around the size of the Sea Dragon. Like the Sea
Dragon, launch it from the sea. To move it around when it isn't in space
you can use a normal tug boat. Use a platform similar to an oil rig as
it's support base and load point - tow it under the platform to load
it's cargo using a set of carefully positioned cranes and specific sized
cargo pods. The cargo can be brought out to the platform on cargo ships
and off loaded from them using the same method. Initially use a mix of
off shore wind turbines, Ocean thermal energy conversion and solar power
to convert seawater to liquid hydrogen and oxygen, with the eventual
plan to move to power provided by SBSP.

In space off load the cargo at specific collection orbits for
distribution by orbital tug.

Don't carry passengers initially, but once the ships have proved
themselves, put a self contained passenger module in place instead of
cargo (Think of an f-111 cockpit and ejection system). Depending on
where you look, the Sea Dragon payload was around 500 tonnes which would
take a reasonable volume to contain. Even with space for support systems
in the passenger module, you would have quite a lot of volume to carry a
lot of people. They would probably also be able to carry a considerable
amount of luggage as I doubt people and luggage would weigh as much as
cargo for a given volume if you've given them room to move about.

The problem would be, will there be enough utilization to make such a
system worth it. If we were to embark on a mass construction effort to
build SBSP and colonies, then yes. If we were to continue much as we are
now, then no.

B

On 22/11/2014 02:20, 'Combs, Mike' mikecombs@... [spacesettlers] wrote:
>
> It could happen even in the absence of space elevators. Suppose a
> future society could mount a space transportation system at 1/10 the
> scale of current air transportation. That could support pretty
> massive immigration and trade.
>
> Regards,
>
> Mike Combs
>
> *From:*spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com
> [mailto:spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com]
> *Sent:* Friday, November 21, 2014 8:40 AM
> *To:* spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com
> *Subject:* Re: [spacesettlers] It appears that "Interstellar"
> inadvertently vindicated Gerald K. O'Neill's space settlement vision
>
> I remember reading in an academic journal that frontier areas in the
> past == Australia, California, even Argentina -- could sustain
> themselves for a long time simply on the business of housing, feeding,
> clothing, entertaining, etc the new arriving migrants, until they
> developed an export industry. A booming space settlement might only
> need one or two major exports -- such as space-based solar power, or
> products from asteroid mining.
>
> I guess my question is whether transportation from Earth into space
> could */ever /*become easy and routine enough for mass migration and
> trade. If the technology for a space elevator were developed, for
> example -- material strong and light enough for a tether -- how much
> tonnage could space elevators realistically transport back and forth?
> Would it take hundreds of years to build enough tethers? Would you
> only need one or two space elevators?
>
> On Fri, Nov 21, 2014 at 6:12 AM, 'Combs, Mike' mikecombs@...
> [spacesettlers]
> >
> wrote:
>
> It will require better economic opportunities. And cant happen in
> their absence.
>
> Regards,
>
> Mike Combs
>

Consider a vehicle with a body shape similar to the Kankoh-maru scaled up to take a payload around the size of the Sea Dragon. Like the Sea Dragon, launch it from the sea. To move it around when it isn't in space you can use a normal tug boat. Use a platform similar to an oil rig as it's support base and load point - tow it under the platform to load it's cargo using a set of carefully positioned cranes and specific sized cargo pods. The cargo can be brought out to the platform on cargo ships and off loaded from them using the same method. Initially use a mix of off shore wind turbines, Ocean thermal energy conversion and solar power to convert seawater to liquid hydrogen and oxygen, with the eventual plan to move to power provided by SBSP.
In space off load the cargo at specific collection orbits for distribution by orbital tug.
Don't carry passengers initially, but once the ships have proved themselves, put a self contained passenger module in place instead of cargo (Think of an f-111 cockpit and ejection system). Depending on where you look, the Sea Dragon payload was around 500 tonnes which would take a reasonable volume to contain. Even with space for support systems in the passenger module, you would have quite a lot of volume to carry a lot of people. They would probably also be able to carry a considerable amount of luggage as I doubt people and luggage would weigh as much as cargo for a given volume if you've given them room to move about.
The problem would be, will there be enough utilization to make such a system worth it. If we were to embark on a mass construction effort to build SBSP and colonies, then yes. If we were to continue much as we are now, then no.
B
On 22/11/2014 02:20, 'Combs, Mike'
mikecombs@...
[spacesettlers] wrote:
It could happen even in the absence of space elevators. Suppose a future society could mount a space transportation system at 1/10 the scale of current air transportation. That could support pretty massive immigration and trade.
Regards,
Mike Combs
From:
spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com
[
mailto:spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com
]
Sent:
Friday, November 21, 2014 8:40 AM
To:
spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com
Subject:
Re: [spacesettlers] It appears that "Interstellar" inadvertently vindicated Gerald K. O'Neill's space settlement vision
I remember reading in an academic journal that frontier areas in the past == Australia, California, even Argentina -- could sustain themselves for a long time simply on the business of housing, feeding, clothing, entertaining, etc the new arriving migrants, until they developed an export industry. A booming space settlement might only need one or two major exports -- such as space-based solar power, or products from asteroid mining.
I guess my question is whether transportation from Earth into space could
ever
become easy and routine enough for mass migration and trade. If the technology for a space elevator were developed, for example -- material strong and light enough for a tether -- how much tonnage could space elevators realistically transport back and forth? Would it take hundreds of years to build enough tethers? Would you only need one or two space elevators?
On Fri, Nov 21, 2014 at 6:12 AM, 'Combs, Mike'
mikecombs@...
[spacesettlers] <
spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com
> wrote:
It will require better economic opportunities. And cant happen in their absence.
Regards,
Mike Combs