First Use of Space?

I concur with Mike's points.

Furthermore, the brutal truth of the matter is that the detection of NEOs
and short-period comets need not be a huge, expensive project. Consider
the project of emplacing and maintaining 15 identical 1-meter automated
sky-search space telescopes at various points within the inner solar
system. This could be done for a couple of billion dollars, far less than
would be required to develop space settlements, and would suffice in very
short order to find all the large NEOs and short-period comets. Add a
hundred million dollars per year or so in operations costs and amortized
costs of replacement telescopes.

Finding the long-period comets is a much bigger nut to crack. But I think
we've got to find all the big NEOs and short-period comets before we worry
about how to solving the bigger long-period comet problem.

Finding NEOs and short-period comets is a Good Thing To Do anyway with
respect to space industrialization and settlement. And we'll all sleep
easier at night, too, once all of those have been discovered.

Ron Menich

"Combs, Mike"

com> cc:
Subject: RE: [spacesettlers] First Use of Space?
08/17/01 10:22
AM
Please respond
to
spacesettlers

From: Leon Neihouse [mailto:neihouse@...]

I submit to all concerned that there is another approach to financing
space. Instead of developing space for the love of space it might be
possible to convince the general public that they must support space
development or risk death.
The problem with using this rationale is that the next big asteroid strike
could occur next Tuesday, or 100,000 years from now. It's very difficult
to galvanize people into immediate action in such a situation.

I agree with you that there's no point in expecting the government to fund
space development, as we are far too small a minority. No matter what
enthusiasm we may have for a particular business plan for space
development, we must be honest and admit that none must be sufficiently
risk-free to stand on its own merits, or else the capital would be flowing.

I hold out far greater hopes that there's some critical research which can
be done that might reduce the risks or the expense sufficiently to make
some business plan attractive on it's potential for profit alone. That's
one reason why I promote SSI more highly than many other organizations,
because that's what they're focused on.

Regards,

Mike Combs