Re: Question about using balloons to get into space

From: G EddieA95 (geddiea95_at_aol.com)
Date: 09/02/04 

To: <sci-space-tech@moderators.isc.org>
Date: 02 Sep 2004 05:30:44 GMT

> 1960, riding a balloon up to 100,000 feet.....very obvious that he was at the

>very edge of space. Isn't half the cost of putting the space shuttle up
> or any rocket into orbit due to how much the fuel costs?
>
Fuel itself is almost cheap. It's the armies of skilled workers, and the
intense refurbishment between flights of Shuttle, that jack up the cost.

You don't save much fuel by using a balloon, though because orbit requires
*speed*, not just altitude. Most of the fuel burned in space launch is not to
get up high, but to get up to speed.

And a balloon that could lift 3,000 tons (the weight of a fuelled Shuttle)
would be truly buttkicking in cost. :)