LEO for $15000 Forum: Spacesettlers
Thread: LEO for $15000
# 3571 byaglobus@... on Nov. 1, 2002, 8:27 p.m.
Member since 2021-10-03
On Friday, November 1, 2002, at 11:09 AM, Ian Woollard wrote:
>
> Basically they think that LEO should be possible for $15000 per person
> using a reusable 2 stage launcher using pretty conventional technology.
>
Looks like there are two keys to this approach:
1. High flight rate (9500/year). If this can be achieved (plausible if
the price gets that low) then we need to worry a bit about the effect on
the atmosphere, particularly near the launch site. Anyone know anything
about this? The shuttle makes a temporary ozone hole, I think due to
the solids, but at low flight rate it's not much a concern.
2. A reusable kerosene/oxygen engine good for hundreds of flights
without much maintenance. This could be demonstrated on the test
stand. When it is, we'll know there's something real here. I'd be
happy to use my tax dollars for this development.
Space tourism could be our ticket to the stars. Save your pennies,
suborbital flights for $100,000 may start in 2005! See
http://www.spaceadventures.com/suborbital for details.
Al Globus
CSC at NASA Ames Research Center
http://www.nas.nasa.gov/~globus/home.html