Carl Sagan's rationale for human spaceflight

> Well, we all do what we can. If any of the rest of
> you out there have
> acquaintances in Congress, or have some way to
> influence a Congressman
> or Senator, please let us know. Darel Preble and I
> intend to keep
> lobbying for space solar power for as long as it
> takes,

Is there some particular reason why a government needs
to be involved to make it happen?

> but the
> increasing energy crisis and the effects of global
> warming make this, in
> my opinion, the most urgent issue on the planet.
>

Why not kill two stones with one bird, and put a large
solar power satellite in a halo orbit around the
Earth-Sun L1? My quick back-of-the- envelope
calculations show that a solar power satellite that
blocks 0.1% of the solar insolation received by the
earth would have a radius in excess of 400 kilometers,
and would generate as much power as all the commercial
nuclear reactors on earth put together 300 times over.

Ed

>
> [mailto:ssi_list@... s.com] On
> Behalf Of Alex Michael Bonnici
> for human spaceflight
>
> Mark,
> I am American by birth and am still a citizen.
> But, I haven't lived
> in the United States for nearly 8 years. I am so far
> from the mainstream
> of American political life or the space movement
> that I really feel
> isolated here. I currently live in Malta. There is
> no grass rots
> interest in space. I make most of my contributions
> by posting on the
> web. I am currently taking a course in creative
> writing with the aim of
> writing for popular science magazines in the United
> States and the
> United Kingdom. I am currently a high school physics
> teacher teaching at
> Saint Edwards College. I was an active member of the
> New York City
> Chapter of the National Space Society. My only
> contribution. if a all
> possible would be in a letter writing campaign or
> writing articles
> concerning SPS and space industrialization.
>
> I can't do much from here I am afraid.
>
> Alex
>
> ssi_list@... s.com> s.com
> for human spaceflight
>
> I am engaged in a long-term lobbying effort on space
> solar power. We
> have discovered considerable interest inside the
> Federal government, and
> plan on moving our work to the Congress during the
> next couple of years.
> We need Congressional action to authorize the
> formation of a
> public/private corporation to develop solar power
> satellites, and to
> fund a pilot project to demonstrate their
> feasibility. If you have any
> connections with members of Congress, and could be
> of assistance on
> this, please let me know.
>
> [mailto:ssi_list@... s.com] On
> Behalf Of Alex Michael Bonnici
> for human spaceflight
>
> Mark,
> I agree with you 100%. But, what kind of
> public out reach or
> lobbying will get us these things?
>
> Alex
>
> ssi_list@... s.com> s.com
> for human spaceflight
>
> According to the polls I've seen, they want two
> things above all others:
> a source of reliable energy from solar paneled
> satellites, and a defense
> against killer asteroids. Those aren't bad
> priorities, frankly.
>
> ssi_list@... s.com> s.com
> [mailto:ssi_list@... s.com] On Behalf Of Alex
> Michael Bonnici
> human spaceflight
>
> Just what will motivate people to support a major
> space initiative? I
> am beginning to think it will have to be the
> celestial equivalent to
> a 9/11 event. What do people really want out of the
> space program?
>
> Alex Michael Bonnici
>
> --- In ssi_list@...
> s.com,
> Brian Dunbar
> >
> > > --- Brian Dunbar > > >
> > >> Documentaries aren't going to fill seats in
> theaters
> > >> - the genre has a niche audience. The number of
> > > people who will watch a space-themed documentary
> ...
> > > smaller yet.
> > >
> > > Worldwide Gross, March of the Penguins (2506
> > > theaters):
> > > $122,612,055
> > >
> > > Worldwide Gross, Apollo 13 (2347 theaters):
> > > $355,237,933
> > >
> > > Worldwide Gross, Magnificent Desolation (IMAX,
> 82
> > > theaters):
> > > $16,190,406
> > >
> > > ------------ --------- -
> > >
> > > If Magnificent Desolation had been in a regular
> > > theater format, more theaters could have shown
> it, but
> > > it wouldn't have had the same visual impact...
> even
> > > so, $200000 per theater isn't too shabby.
> > >
> > > Ed
> >
> > The visual impact of Magnificent Desolation
> doesn't matter if people
> > don't see it.
> >
> > --
> > Brian Dunbar
> > System Administrator
> > Liftport - The Space Elevator Company
> >
> > brian.dunbar@ ...
> > aim: bdunbar1967
> >
> > this email is: [ ] bloggable [x] ask first [ ]
> private
> >
> > Meaningful Work or Death.
> > Any other form of existence doesn't interest me.
> >
> > Hugh Macleod
> >

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