Big, Dumb, heavy lift boosters.

Take a look at this brute:-

350 tonnes to LEO
100 tonnes to Lunar orbit

http://vulcain.fb12.tu-berlin.de/koelle/Neptun/Nep2015.html

German design - development cost about 30 billion dollars - half the
cost of the half-assed idea of a nuclear missile shield.

>
> >>>>>why NASA is so freaking expensive,
> how much the Russians really spend to get into space
> (a pittance- the rockets cost 4-5 million each!)
> and how much a Big Dumb Booster would cost (>>>
>
> What we really need in order to get prices down to <$500/Kg, is an
> inherently simple, non re-usable, 3-stage, heavy lift boster. We
would
> produce 200 of these things per year, in an automated factory, that
> continuously passes the boosters along a production line. This would
> produce boosters continuously, much like a car factory produces
cars.
> Boosters with lift capabilities of 50-250 tonnes to LEO, could be
produced
> in this way. The factory is located on a natural harbour. Upon
completion,
> each booster is loaded onto a transport ship (converted oil
tanker?) and
> from then on, it is shipped to the launch site. Even better, it
could be
> transported by rail, to a near-by launch facility! The lower two
stages of
> the rocket are kerosine/oxygen fueled. The fuel can be pumped
straight out
> of a tanker that is docked close to the launch site. The oxygen is
> liquified out of the air, using an atmospheric liquification plant.
The
> whole setup, would be powered by a series of gas turbines or a
single
> 1200-MWe nuclear reactor (built quickly, in less than 5 years). A
system
> like this would provide cheap, mass produced heavy lift vehicles.
Launch
> prices of less than $2000/Kg to HEO and $1000/Kg to LEO, could be
virtually
> guarenteed. But how much would it cost in order to set up this
monster
> facility?
>
> Tony
>
the
money while