Some Questions

> Ok, Before I get to my questions please understand I ask
because I
> don't know the
> answers and don't know where to find them. As such although they
may
> apear stupid to some of you I suspect others might want to know the
> answers also. With that in mind,
> if you can, please include a sorce for the info in your answers.
This
> is for me and for
> others.
> Thank you
>
> 1. What is wrong with the shuttle? I understand it is expensive
to run
> but why is it expensive? Can the problems all be fixed with a
mark II
> version?

I'm sure that others will fill in more of the criticisms, but some
are:

1970s technology.
Crew doesn't sit on top of the stack (easy escape.)
Military wanted cross-range but not need now.
Extensive maintenance required.
Very expensive/lb of payload.

>
> 2. I heard that NASA abandoned the fuel tank based space
station idea
> because
> the tanks contain a toxin, I believe it was benzine. Is this true?
> Can this be cleaned from an orbiting tank? Can the engines be
designed
> to work without
> it? Is it all just bullshit?

Unless someone know a lot of minutia about the shuttle I would go
with what is generally known. The external tank contains LO2 and
LH2. Maybe there are trace contaminants but then you could just
shine a mirror into the cut-open tank and burn out any such residue.

>
> 3. Everything I read about the DC-X aka the Delta Clipper says
it was
> a spacemans
> wet dream of a vehicle. Well, until it fell over. However its
falling
> had nothing to do
> with the engine but seemed to involve a failure in a landing leg's
> hydrolics, something
> which happens to airplanes occasionally. If it was such a good
design
> why was it abandoned? How much does it cost to build the thing
anyway
> and is it something a
> private enterprise could afford?

The contractor couldn't make any money off of it. Private enterprise
can afford anything if it can make money off of it. How would you
make money with a DC-X?

>
> 4. How much does a shuttle cost to build?

About $2 billion each.

>
> 5. It seems all the various space colonization advocacy groups
> concentrate on the
> United States as the country to be the ones to colonize space yet
many
> other wealthy and industrialized countries exist. Why don't they
> concentrate on the others like Germany,
> Japan, or China? Why not all of them? I wonder if the USA has
lost its
> spirit.

Perhaps most of the correspondents are Amrericans. Perhaps because
America has the highest GDP/cap. Perhaps because of the friendly
environment for entrepreneurs. Perhaps because the Fed. Gov. is
making some attempt at permitting private enterprise in space.

> If you read history you notice nations go through a vigorous
period of
> growth followed
> by a decadent decline and at some point they either collapse or are
> reborn again.
> I wonder if the USA is going into a decline cycle. Perhaps one of
the
> younger countries
> or ones coming out of their decline cycle might take the challenge?

AN interesting question but no one in this group has the answer.
We're just abunch of blowhards :) LOL

Why don't you make a case for your position and tell us what you
think and why.

>
> 6. Everything I have read lately including The High Frontier 3rd
> edition from Apogee
> Book seems to indicate NASA is a fossilized dinosaur like old IBM
was to
> the computer
> industry back in the 60s and 70s. Shouldn't space travel
advocates try
> to
> pull NASA down? Isn't it time for a NASA mark II? I got the
impression
> NASA screws up a
> lot and makes choices that are less than optimal given a limited
budget.
> If they
> are such screwups and waste taxpayer money and don't do as good a
job as
> they could then
> shouldn't it be the duty of those who know to point this out to the
> voters? I mean,
> Don't just point out what NASA does wrong but what NASA could be
doing
> right.
> Pointing out to the taxpayers how NASA seems to abandon promising
> technologies like
> the Delta Clipper in favor of the shuttle which is old and needs
to be
> replaced.
> Pointing out how NASA's plans don't include civilian activities in
> space, neither industrial or tourist, even if such would be a good
idea.
> Pointing out that,
> if the shuttle tanks are safe or can be made safe, that it cost no
extra
> to bring them in
> orbit and that they can be made into cheap space stations and
hotels.
> Why isn't NASA being crushed for holding the dream back? For
holding
> the people from space?
> Why isn't everyone involved in any way with space colonization
trying
> everything
> thay can to destroy NASA and make a new agency that can do a
better job?
>
> 7. How come the anime Mobile Suit Gundam is the ONLY mass media
> product featuring
> Mr. Oniell's colonies and ideas? It would seem that the more mass
media
> items
> featuring orbital colonies, moon mining, and the rest you have,
the more
> you would infect
> the population with the space colonization meme. The last TV show
I can
> remember
> that was a mass media item of some popularity featuring a city on
the
> moon was
> Space 1999 which was from the mid 70s! Babylon 5 has a space
colony but
> not around the
> Earth! The Colony you hear about on B5 near Earth is a dirtside
colony
> on Mars!
> No asteroid miners or colonies in the asteroid belt. Why don't the
> space colonization
> advocacy groups try to fund or start movie and TV projects with
space
> colonization
> featured in them and ordinary joes and janes in space? Not
documentary
> works but
> fiction and not,possibly dull to the average guy, sci-fish works
but
> dramatic mass market stuff but with the colony stuff in the
background
> sneaking into their minds.
> When the meme becomes a plague you can then tell them all they
could
> live in those
> things they saw in the movies and on TV. You can't fly on the
> Enterprise but you could live in orbit on a Bernal sphere so just
write
> your congressman. Why aren't they doing that? If enough of the
voters
> wanted it the government would do it.

The secret cabal within the group knows the answer to all of your
questions but if any of them told you, then we'd have to insure your
silence. However, if you find the answers on your own, the secret
cabal, by order of the grand poobah, must admit you to the inner
sanctum. LOL

Start searching for the answers.

>
> 8. Do people like Freeman Dyson and other "movers and shakers"
read
> this list
> or is it just regular guys like me? Does anything any of us say
here on
> this list
> have any effect or ar we wasting out time talking?

The movers and shakers are on the board and act as advisors to the
SSI but I doubt they read this list.

If you read the list for a while you see that there are indeed
people who are trying to accomplish things. I know that one fellow
is very involved in advocating the SPS concept to the public and
more importantly to the politicians. Another is trying to get a
research institute off of the ground. Another has some rocketry
projects underway. Another is a scientist studying issues of
importance to us.

However the rest of us are doing this primarily as a hobby.

This question might
> annoy people and
> that is not my intent. My mom always says, "Talk is cheap" and I
> sometimes
> wonder if talking on lists like this has any effect at all. Are
we just
> a bunch of
> college students in a dorm talking about things but never doing
anything
> and having
> no effect because no one important listens?

There are a lot of people who subscribe to this list but probably
only 5-10% actually post material.

I like this list because I
> can get information and share ideas but I am planning on writing
> articles for webzines and maybe an honest paper and ink magazine.
I
> wrote an article but the info in it was wrong
> so I need to gather more info but I will tell you all when it is
done.
> What does
> everyone else do? Please don't get angry if you thought I was
saying
> that you are all
> losers or something, I wasn't, I was just wondering what good
mailing
> lists like this do
> for the cause besides letting us exchange ideas and make friends.
Thats
> all.
>
> Well, those are my questions. Please don't be angry if I
somehow
> offended you.
> I am sorry if I did. I hope this generates discussion and ideas.
> Thank you for reading this.
> Darkstar

Why don't you tell us more about yourself rather than asking 250+
people what they do?

BTW, can you widen the margins on your e-mail client. All the line
truncation is very hard to read.

TangoMan