Re: We can meet all our needs through space development

So, even lord/wizard Mook is deathly afraid of utilizing the Earth/
Moon L1.

Gee whiz, what another surprise that such an all knowing clown of a
pretend atheist like William Mook can't afford to even consider Clarke
Station, much less that of my LSE-CM/ISS.

What are you so deathly afraid of, Mook. (it must be the truth that
you're afraid of)
- Brad Guth


On Jan 28, 3:42 pm, Willie.Moo...@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
On Jan 28, 4:12 pm, Einar <eina...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Jan 28, 3:24 pm, Willie.Moo...@xxxxxxxxx wrote:

We can meet all our needs through space development.

Here is the program I propose;

(1) Develop a stretched External Tank massing 1,000 metric tons,
with a 120 metric ton structural fraction
propelled by an annular aerospike nozzle
using 3 RS-68 pumpsets
generating 1,400 metric tons of thrust at lift off
with a specific impulse of 430 seconds

(2) Build 30 of these elements and operate them up to 7 at a time
to launch 535 metric tons into Earth orbit every 15 days

(3) Build 660 satellites, each 10 to 20 tons mass, and launch them
over an 18 month period to create a global wireless
communications
capability that generates $83 billion per year in revenue

(4) Adapt the satellite launcher to launch;
manned payloads, space tourism, lunar hotel
large mars direct type vehicles for
mars development and exploration
lunar development and exploration
power satellites

(5) use power satellites to create abundant hydrogen fuel to
displace
crude oil coal and natural gas and support expanded industry
this increases revenue stream from space to over $4 trillion
per year.

(6) develop telepresence and telerobotics capabilities as well as
a host of related business, financial and banking services
over
the wireless broadband created in step 3.

(7) use power satellite capacity to create a beam powered
propulsion
unit. Adapt the reusable flight elements with improved
engine,
increase launch rate and capacity.

(8) adapt power satellites to operate close to solar surface and
beam
energy at far higher levels to any point of use in the solar
system

(9) use improved beam handling to beam energy directly to users
displacing in most instances the use of hydrogen/oxygen

(10) capture asteroids using improved propulsion systems,
develop those asteroids into industrial feestocks using
telerobotic labor and solar power - disperse the finished
goods and products to users by GPS guided aeroshells
launched from the space facility by rail gun, and landed
by MEMS based braking rockets

(11) build large pressure vessels at low cost on Earth orbit to
create farms and industrial forests at less cost and
greater
yields than possible on Earth. Add food and fiber to the
mix of low cost products freely available across Earth at
low market rates.

(12) MEMs based propulsive skins, powered by high intensity
infrared lasers, available at low cost make reliable,
safe
travel to orbit and anywhere on Earth common reality
for everyone. This combined with low cost pressure
vessels equipped with their own biosphere - cause the
first mass exodus off world.

This can all be achieved within the next 50 years.

As an example of what might be possible lets look at the food
situation;

Here is what the USDA says the Average American eats per capita;

http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/FoodConsumption/spreadsheets/foodloss/se....

6.5 ounces of meat eggs and nuts a day
1.8 cups Dairy
0.7 cups Fruit
7.5 cups vegetables
5.3 ounces Flour, cereal
71.6 grams added fats
25.1 teaspoons added sugar

Converting each ounce to 28.35 grams, and
1 cup to 8 ounces.
1 teaspoon of sugar to 4.2 grams

184.3 grams meat/eggs/nuts
408.3 grams dairy
158.8 grams fruit
1,701.0 grams vegetables
150.3 grams flour, cereals
105.5 grams
2,708.2 grams per day total

Assuming a 20% structural/propellant fraction this means that a daily
supply of food could be delivered from orbit for every person

2.8 kg - food
0.6 kg - structure/propellant

This would be contained in a 3 liter volume. Reducing this to '3-
squares a day' we have a module with a total volume of 1 liter per
meal, containing up to 1 kg, with a 50 gram shell, 20 grams of MEMs
engines and active componetns (1000:1 thrust to weight on these tiny
tiny engines) and 30 grams of propellant for braking from high
subsonic speeds - soft landing the payload precisely - and another 100
grams for spares/cooking in place. The thermal protection system
permits combined with pressure sealed operation allows the 1 liter
container to double as a cooking element.

With 7 billion people - we have 21 billion continers dispatched per
day from orbit. in response to a satellite telephone call. From
several sun synch polar orbits, a demand for food can be resolved in 5
minutes or less - following a satellite phone call, which also
provides precise GPS coordinates for delivery. It takes about 1 km/
sec delta vee from 700 km sun synch orbit to deorbit a payload quickly
and reliably. This is imparted by solar powered rail gun.

In large quantities - with highly automated production and low labor
rates - the materials -whether organic or technical - may cost as
little as $0.40 per kg to produce and delivery. So meals cost as
little as $0.48 each without subsidy. Of course people pay far more
than that for meals in most areas. The US spends something like $1.5
trillion per year on food - about 1/3 of what the entire planet
spends. $4.5 trillion per year spent on food translates to $0.59 per
meal.and $843 billion per year profit from food sales.

It takes about 1/2 acre of farmland to support the average American
consumer. Enclosed agriculture such as that provided by greenhouse
cultivation increases yeilds 5x. Large pressure vessels placed on
orbit can control all factors including the weather and gravityas well
as atmospheric composition - to increase yields beyond this level.
So, 10 people per acre translates to 2,469 per square kilometer of
pressure vessel growth area. Vertical farming methods with lighting
control, increases it beyond that by having vertical growth areas

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeroponicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I.......

An O'Neill style pressure vessel was surounded by dozens of
agricultural modules. A design for a small agricultural unit that is
1 km in diameter and 0.75 km tall, has a pseudo gravity area of 2.35
sq km. Installed in the center of each rotating cylinder is a conical
thin film mirror that illuminates the gravity area. The cylinder wall
area is related to the cone base area.

The area illuminated is divided into 3 zones around the cylinder wall
- the plants are grown aeroponically - and each plant grouping is
illuminated according to a cosine curve - which peaks at 73% space
levels of illumination (that balance is used to power solar panels on
board) which is distributed as a 3 phase half wave system. Total
power stays the same, even while the power on each phase rises from
zero to full illumination over 6 hours and falls to zero 6 hours after
- and is dark 12 hours. - with unused light being used to charge up
energy systems on board the station.

Each station provides food for 10,000 people. Each station is crewed
by 50 farming droids - manned by 150 telerobotic workers.

The microgravity portion at the center of the rotating cylinder -
behind the conical reflector illuminating the gravity portions at the
periphery - process the foods into meals - ready to be shot by rail
gun out of the vehicle to Earth below. 30,000 meals per day are
prepared in this way. Another 150 droids with another 450 robot
drivers maintain this service.

So, each station employs 600 people on a continuous basis, and
provides meals for 10,000.

The station houses surplus materials left over from the asteroidal
processing that created the station. This material provides the
consumable feedstock needed to supply the station as it ships 36 tons
of product per day to Earth. A 150 meter diameter sphere contains
mostly water, and some smaller amounts of other materials needed to
supply the station with these consumables.and spares for a period of
134 years. As stated this is mostly water, but also includes 1.47
billion 1 liter meal conainers - fabricated along with the station.

There are 6.7 billion people on Earth at present. So, at 10,000 per
station, this implies a total number of stations 670,000 to supply all
the food needs of humanity with 40 million workers.

http://www.nas.nasa.gov/About/Education/SpaceSettlement/75SummerStudy....

1000 small bodies each approximately 2 km in diameter, each massing
approximately 3 billion metric tons - gathered from the asteroid belt
over a 10 year period brought into a sun synchronous polar orbit -
above the terminator for Earth - staying in constant sunlight - flying
at an altitude of 1,000 km altitude and separated by 26 km - form
the basis of the system propose here. Using vacuum forming described
in the URL above large pressure vessels are formed - 676 per captured
fragment.forming an area of stations facing the sun with with 26 by 26
stations per asteroidal fragment. At a rate of 1 ag station every 3
days from each asteroid, fragment, the entire ring can be completed in
5.55 years. A 10 to 15 year program, including the the time it takes
to capture the asteroids, could build a ring like this for use on
Earth.

A production setup per asteroidal fragment, produces all components on
orbit - with a productive crew of 10,000 droids and 35,000 drivers per
asteroidal fragment. That's 35 million workers.for the whole ring.

Careful control of production timing and return of asteroids would
provide cointnous employment for up to 50 million people, especially
if post ag operations were added to the mix after the 15 year period.

In the end a ring, similar to the rings of saturn, flies above the
terminator of Earth 1,000 km above the surface, that is 26 km wide,
and houses enough farm area - and other equipment, to provide custom
made meals within minutes to anyone anywhere at any time on Earth
without using any materials on Earth.

21 billion one liter containers massing 70 grams are deposited per day
on Earth's surface, but a small processing operation on Earth would
take care of this. .

With sufficient raw material to supply the 21,000 metric tons per day
for 134 years - the system can be rresupplied by capturing a 10
million ton 200 meter diameter asteroid every year.

A similar analysis can be done to determine the size and scope of
interplanetary supply chains for wood, building products, metals, or
anything used by people of Earth.

Supply chains to support habitation on orbit on a large scale, as well
as habitation and transport throughout the solar system in large space
homes - are also possible.

This is doable today with technology immediately avaialble today.

Interesting dream...but a litle bit to good to be true sounding. A
pessimyst will note all the miryad development milestones that have to
be passed to make it true. We have not yet achieved a really
successful enclosed system whichever it´s for growing food or simply
for lifesupport.

That's why I went with an open loop system. That system must be fed -
which needed 21,000 metric tons per day running through it to keep it
going. Triple that amount to replace parts and account for processing
losses.

The initial 1,000 moonlets provide 134 years of support. Of course in
that time everything will have been replaced and upgraded.

It takes a delta vee of about 8 km/sec to bring stuff from the
asteroid belt.

Miminum energy rockets have delta vee equal exhaust velocity. So,
propellant fraction of 63.21% - so to recieve 21,000 metric tons per
day from the asteroid belt 57,000 metric tons per day must start out
from the ateroid belt - flowing from the asteroid belt 36,000 metric
tons a day is ejected at 8 km/sec.to provide propulsive force.

That's 417 kg per second - Each kg/sec projected at 8,000 m/sec
requires 32 MJ/sec - so 417 kg per second needs 13.3 GW. So a single
20 GW power satellite with appropriate optics can feed this ring of
satellites.

This is just one fault-point of many I could mentione with your
vision.

Not really, I said explicitly that 21,000 tons per day would be needed
by the ring to keep feeding earth indefinitely. Failing that, I said
the system would run out of resources in 134 years from the initial
1,000 moonlets.

This sounds more like one would hope that the world at 2099
might be like.

I think its possible to achieve this. When you actually carry out the
engineering calculations you find that the needs are surprisingly
modest, given the return.

Write a schy fy book on this, a suggestion.

I'd prefer it not to be sci-fi - but that's just me.

Einar

thanks for your comments. If you have any other fault points to
discuss I'd like to hear them.

.