Re: How Rockets Differ From Jets


Brad Guth wrote:
> >tomcat; Total mission cost, including initial cost of spaceplane:
> >$12,000,000,000.00. Gross Profit: $400,000,000,000.00. Net Profit:
> >$388,000,000,000.00. Not bad for a week's worth of work.
> Even though your initial spaceplane cost and certainly actual
> operational overhead per mission is going to become at least ten fold
> greater, whereas now you're talking my kind of language, especially if
> it's mostly if not entirely of robotics. However, you'll first have to
> invent an actual fly-by-rocket VTOL spaceplane, or even create at least
> a few small R&D prototype landers, of which NASA would be very
> interested in since they've badly needed exactly that level of
> fly-by-rocket technology, whereas lo and behold, it seems they haven't
> a freaking clue as to how they're going to achieve that task when
> they're expected to be going back to the moon with a live crew as
> depicted on live TV, managing all of this according to their
> conditional laws of physics and sequestered evidence is why they're
> still dumbfounded into not even considering upon the added safety of
> accomplishing that nasty task under benefits of earthshine.


Too much has been made of extreme costs of building a spaceplane. They
are no more expensive than vertical/tubular rockets.

If you don't know 'how' to build a spaceplane then an infinite amount
of money isn't enough.

I plan on building my spaceplane out in the open so I don't have all
the time consuming costs of locating a factory. Why does a spaceplane
need a large hanger? It doesn't.

For the initial structural fabrication -- in the desert -- some really
big circus sized tents are all that is needed. When you work with
epoxy/resin you need an open air work area so that workers aren't
poisoned by the fumes. Once the outer hull is intact everything will
be worked on inside the ship. Besides, rain doesn't hurt most of the
things that you work with other than uncured composite binder. It
certainly won't affect titanium.

Any dry lake bed can be used for a runway. That way you have 10 miles
or so of runway at 'no extra cost'.

Remember, have a subcontractor build the modules -- tanks, crew
compartment, cockpit, etc. -- out of titanium. Then you just laminate
over the titanium, turning the titanium into a non-corrosive liner.
The same is true of trusses, 'I' beams, and the like.

Another trick is to make paper mache forms, laminate over the forms,
then wash the paper mache away leaving only the composite laminate.

Real expenses are blueprints, bright subordinate engineers, highly
skilled experienced workers, plus exotic materials, motors,
instruments, and general equipment that are the very best regardless of
price.

I know that detractors will immediately scream "it can't be done that
way!" Well, it can. The Wright brothers did it. And, there is no
reason why it can't. Again, you have to know 'how' to build a
spaceplane. If you don't, then no amount of money will build one.
And, all the fancy factories in the world won't help.

BTW, don't go in the opposite direction and believe it can be done for
less than the billions I have mentioned because there are some very
real expenses involved. The blueprints alone could cost millions. The
hull will require computer analysis and R&D. And, may have to be
reworked more than once.


tomcat

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