On the colonization of space

Hi Babbler36 (Sorry, you did not sign your post)

Just a comment. Things get real because there is the
will to do it, or the urgency of making them. Without
Werner Von Braun and the Russian competition, I doubt
the Apollo program will ever start.

People thing about the colonization of the Americas as
something that happened by chance, without planning.
That's wrong.

Portuguese prince Henry the Navigator had a "research
team" working full time for half a Century in the
project of reaching India before that actually
happened and, as a side effect, Columbus reached the
Americas using his tech. Henry's team studied maps,
instruments, ship architecture, and everything needed
for the enterprise.

There is no chance there but will.

Now the states have lost some of the will of going to
the space. However the necessity of going there is
high. I believe there is just one reason this seems
stopped:

* The shuttle has not been a practical way for going
to space. It is expensive, impractical and very
insecure, as its tragedies have proved.

* Today we are stuck for 30 or more years with an
impractical way of going to space.

I believe everything will change with a new engine.
What we do need is an SCRAMJET reactor. An engine that
will convert in reality the fantasy of the Single
Stage to Orbit (SST0) ship. An engine that is as
practical as a Jet, and that will convert going to
orbit in something cheap. In a piece of cake.

Remember that Da Vinci dreamed of flying, but without
an internal combustion engine his dreams remained just
that. The same is true for the XIX century dreamers
that imagined airship wars: they only they could
though of where zeppelins!!!

If technology bring us the scramjet grial, space
tourism will boom and, at the same time, space
colonization will do start, for sure.

After that, the stars are the limit! :)

Regards,

Omar Vega

--- babbler36 wrote: