Re: Super-heavy lift reusable launcher

On Aug 11, 4:17 am, Ian Parker <ianpark...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On 11 Aug, 02:22, "Martha Adams" <mh...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:



"Fred J. McCall" <fmcc...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in messagenews:fnku94h09auua2tcnth74eusaf7ksi28ct@xxxxxxxxxx

Ian Parker <ianpark...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

:On 10 Aug, 12:36, Fred J. McCall <fmcc...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
:> Ian Parker <ianpark...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
:>
:> :On 10 Aug, 11:50, Fred J. McCall <fmcc...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
:> :> Ian Parker <ianpark...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
:> :>
:> :> :On 9 Aug, 23:35, Fred J. McCall <fmcc...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
:> :> :> Ian Parker <ianpark...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

<snip>

In general, if William Mook is championing something, it is probably a
good thing to stay away from. Mr Mook has a years-long reputation for
wanting undoable things done.

<snip>

"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable
man persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore,
all progress depends on the unreasonable man."

--George Bernard Shaw

What?? !! Must I make a point, *here,*
about "wanting undoable things done"? In
sci.space.policy? ?? What is this
newsgroup *for,* for the luvva Mike?

Well, I'll make my point. In my view,
sci.space.policy is / or ought to be, a
place where we start some "undoable" on
its transition to "doable."

Titeotwawki -- mha [sci.space.policy 2008 Aug 10]

I would put this another way. If we try to do undoable things, i mean
here things that are undoable because of grandiose engineering. I
don't mean things like antigravity and warp drive, you may well end up
with a dooable core. You may well find that SSP for example might not
fulfill all our energy requirements. Purely terrestrial methods might
be best for the simple generation of hydrogen. However I feel that SSP
might well find a niche.

Transmission appears to be in two variants optical and microwave.
Microwaves as Rand Simberg rightly points out are overwhelmingly
superior for bulk energy transmission. Is there an optical niche?

I believe that lasers can be used to power a Nerva type engine. I
think LH containing soot could have an exhaust velocity of 10+ km/sec.
Lasers could also power aircraft. In these niche applications clould
cover will not be a problem as all the action will take place either
above the clouds, or in a location where there are none.

- Ian Parker

You are correct, in that terrestrial alternatives for clean and
renewable energy via solar, wind, geothermal, tidal and good old
thorium are perfectly doable without going off-world or otherwise
touching and converting another nasty tonne of coal into synfuel.

Even hydroelectric potential is only 10% tapped out.

~ Brad Guth Brad_Guth Brad.Guth BradGuth
.

Relevant Pages

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