Re: Space Exploitation

From: Charles F. Radley (cfrjlr_at_yahoo.com)
Date: 06/03/04 

Date: 2 Jun 2004 17:01:12 -0700

Hi Terry,

Let me offer a different spin on solar power satellites.

"Terry Goodrich" <terry@csmgdesign.com> wrote in message news:<anPuc.15286$Yf6.3677@bignews1.bellsouth.net>...
> for the development cost. We all have heard of placing solar power stations
> and such in orbit, but if electric power grows in price to justify the cost
> of that, we've got a whole lot bigger problem the power.

Deceptively cheap (subsidized) energy can continue to be readily
available using nuclear power and fossil fuels for a couple of
centuries at least. Solar power Satellites (SPS) will not compete
head to head on price alone in the foreseeable future.

But that is really not the point, I look at it in a different way.

The collateral damage caused by fossil fuels and nuclear fuels far
outweighs their deceptively low price. The real price for these fuels
is very high when you consider these factors:

Fossil fuels:

 - military cost of securing sources of supply and supply channels,
with associated geopolitical problems and trouble with the local
insurgents
 - huge balance of trade deficits from importing them
 - cost of the war on terror (terrorists funded by oil revenues)
 - global warming exacerbated by greenhouse gases
 - air pollution - reduced life expectancy / healthcare costs
 - water pollution (e.g. Mercury from coal) - reduced life expectancy
/ healthcare costs

Nuclear fuels:

 - military cost of securing supply chains against theft
 - military cost of securing waste sites against theft
 - cleanup cost of decommissioning power stations
 - cost of meltdown - reduced life expectancy / healthcare costs
 - cost of waste leakage - reduced life expectancy / healthcare costs
 - social cost of draconian global security regimes (big brother)

If society ever reaches the conclusion that fossil fuels and nuclear
fuels are undesirable for the above reasons, then there is no
remaining alternative to SPS for clean inexhaustible power on a global
scale.

But as long as society is willing to continue subsidizing fossil fuels
and nuclear systems, then SPS is not an option.

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