Overpopulation

From: spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Omar E. Vega

> So, it's better to stay with rockets. Then, I hope scramjets
> become practical soon enough. With current tech I am afraid
> there is no hope of further advances.

I am optimistic that in the near-term we can see the costs for a
pound-to-LEO come down to 1/10 of current rates. But I don't tend to
put my faith so much in novel new propulsion technologies as in the
economics of vastly-expanded traffic models. If you had an outfit
launching at the rate of once or twice a week, I think you'd see the
1/10 launch costs reduction, but it would still be with rockets of a
design current rocketeers would find fairly familiar.

That's one reason why I keep pushing SPS. SPS are more economical and
efficient at a very large scale. Taking on that challenge would force
us to the vastly increased traffic model which might bring the
cost/pound down. That in turn would enable so many other things people
want (inexpensive trips to Mars, for one).

Regards,

Mike Combs