Ian Koller wrote:
>
> Ben,
>
> I wish we had it all today too. I'm sure we would have
> been much further along if they hadn't cut the budget
> back so severely after the apollo program wrapped up. But
> the shuttle is a good working vehicle. Launches of the
> shuttle are so common now, you only hear a blurb on it
> on the news. In addition to flying Glenn back into space,
> I wish they would take Yeager up one time too, just to
> thank him for the contributions he also made.
I don't think they wasted the last umm 40 years
as it has taken to get out of the Cold War era.
>
> There are some small private outfits trying to develop
> their own programs too, either in CA or somewhere out
> west. But it still takes a lot of money, just not as
> much as NASA requires. On CNN this morn, I believe there
> was mention of a launch, but the vehicle was still a
> $500,000 vehicle. I bet if you searched google, you
> might find one of the private projects, that you might
> even be able to contribute help to.
The last good one was Rotary Rocket but has gone
belly up. Lets see a new home is $250,000 so what is
$1,000,000 for a space craft that works! But the bank
don't give mortgages on space-craft. The other stuff
is the X-prize contest stuff. I don't believe in contest
stuff because you can't share good ideas.
> One concern I have though is that until there is actually
> a good destination to go to ( where there is air and water,
> even if it has to be extracted ) there may not be enough
> of a reason to make it commercially viable. Short hops to
> get halfway around the globe in record time would be good,
> but true deep space travel may need a destination that will
> support life. I liken it to sailing. Some people like to
> take their boat out just to go sailing, but I kind of always
> wanted a destination to sail to. Sailing halfway out into the
> Atlantic, just to see it, and coming back just never excited
> me. If Columbus hadn't found the "New World" how many would
> have continued to voyage out across the atlantic.
Well I have a nice plot of land on MARS. If it legal that is
another story. :) Also I don't think 8 bit computers are
the best design for a computer. I don't expect sell any
24 bit cpu's but that still has not stopped me dreaming
about a better computer. The same with space travel, we need
the dreamers still do stuff. I expect people will find
living in space hard because 'community' something that
seems to be forgotten as a important aspect of life rather
than $$$.
--
Ben Franchuk - Dawn * 12/24 bit cpu *
www.jetnet.ab.ca/users/bfranchuk/index.html
--
PS. Buy a 24 bit cpu... I need the yearly world market quota of THREE
filled! :)
Received on Thu Jan 10 2002 - 17:50:28 GMT