Carl Sagan's rationale for human spaceflight

> The reason to involve the government is that the initial funding
> required is substantial, and private investment is expected to
> follow after feasibility is demonstrated.

I'd have to agree with Mark here. I'm a believer in commercial
development of space, but the business world is very conservative, and
having a government-funded demonstrator would be a huge help in finding
investors.

It wouldn't necessarily have to be a full GEO powersat; a LEO
demonstrator would be substantially cheaper and would prove the concept
nearly as well.

On the other hand, I wonder if Richard Branson may be the person
identified by history as both opening the space frontier and solving
the world's energy problems. He's clearly passionate about space
(Virgin Galactic) and has shown a very strong interest in ecological
and power-generation issues as well (no references handy but I could
probably dig them up if needed). He's certainly moving in the right
direction... let's see what he does in the next 10 or 20 years.

Best,
- Joe

The primary obstacle to space solar power is the high cost
> of launching payload into geosynchronous orbit, and that cost will
not go down
> until sufficient demand is present to make mass production of
inexpensive launch
> vehicles practical. Only the government has the resources to trigger
that
> initial stage; then, private investment ought to flow into the
process.
> The model we propose is the same one used to launch the
communications satellite
> industry: a federally chartered and financed corporation open to
private
> investment.
>
> ssi_list@... [mailto:ssi_list@... On
Behalf Of
> Ed Minchau
> PM
> Re: Carl Sagan's rationale for human spaceflight
>
> --- "Wallach, Mark" mwallach@...
>
> > 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
>
> ssi_list@...
> >
> [mailto:ssi_list@...
> On
> > Behalf Of Alex Michael Bonnici
> 2006 12:17 PM
> >
> > 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
> >
> > ----- Original
> Message -----
>
> > ssi_list@...
> s.com
> [ssi_list] Re: Carl Sagan's rationale
> > 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@...
> On
> > Behalf Of Alex Michael Bonnici
> 2006 10:16 AM
> >
> > for human
> spaceflight
> >
> > Mark,
> >
> I agree with you 100%. But, what kind of
> > public out reach or
> >
> lobbying will get us these things?
> >
> > Alex
> >
> mwallach@... Mark
>
> > ssi_list@...
> s.com
> [ssi_list] Re: Carl Sagan's rationale
> > 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
> > [mailto:ssi_list@... On
> Behalf Of Alex
> > Michael Bonnici
> 2006 7:53 AM
> >
> > 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
> >
> Do
>
Joe Strout -- joe@...