Comments on: Reusable rockets from PayPal… http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/04/08/reusable-rockets-from-paypal/ Life, Culture and Politics from BrisVegas Tue, 14 Feb 2012 05:08:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Nabakov http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/04/08/reusable-rockets-from-paypal/#comment-191764 Nabakov Mon, 09 Apr 2007 16:23:28 +0000 http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/04/08/reusable-rockets-from-paypal/#comment-191764 I love this shit! Keep posting about it Robert M. Even Heinlein's "The Man That Sold The Moon" didn't come at all close to the wonderful craziness nowadays of ICT and internet billionaries starting their own space programs. I betcha Paul Allen and Jeff Bezos are now seriously spending up hundreds of millions to leapfrog Elon Musk (What a name! Couldn't make it up) and eachother for the next step. The automotive and aviation industries started up exactly the same way. Brillant techy dudes a bit too out there for Government work hooking up with whacky well-resourced gentleman adventurers. If only Glenn Curtiss, Tommy Sopwith, Henri Farman, Gabriel Voison, Geoffrey De Havilland, Alberto Santos-Dumont and Lois Bleriot were around now to hang out with Burt Rutan and co. Damn my eyes, times like this I really do heart the 21st century. Per Ardua Ad Astra Via Eccentrica! I love this shit! Keep posting about it Robert M.

Even Heinlein’s “The Man That Sold The Moon” didn’t come at all close to the wonderful craziness nowadays of ICT and internet billionaries starting their own space programs. I betcha Paul Allen and Jeff Bezos are now seriously spending up hundreds of millions to leapfrog Elon Musk (What a name! Couldn’t make it up) and eachother for the next step.

The automotive and aviation industries started up exactly the same way. Brillant techy dudes a bit too out there for Government work hooking up with whacky well-resourced gentleman adventurers.

If only Glenn Curtiss, Tommy Sopwith, Henri Farman, Gabriel Voison, Geoffrey De Havilland, Alberto Santos-Dumont and Lois Bleriot were around now to hang out with Burt Rutan and co.

Damn my eyes, times like this I really do heart the 21st century.

Per Ardua Ad Astra Via Eccentrica!

]]> By: Robert Merkel http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/04/08/reusable-rockets-from-paypal/#comment-191763 Robert Merkel Sun, 08 Apr 2007 22:54:53 +0000 http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/04/08/reusable-rockets-from-paypal/#comment-191763 Jacues: Interesting. However, it's part of the realities of the space business that large parts of your business will come from the military and government. Musk, for whatever reason, has managed to sweet-talk NASA and the US government into paying for his services. It probably helps that he's in the right place at the right time; with NASA strapped for cash and about to retire the Shuttle, he might just hold a monopoly on American crewed launch services... Jacues: Interesting. However, it’s part of the realities of the space business that large parts of your business will come from the military and government. Musk, for whatever reason, has managed to sweet-talk NASA and the US government into paying for his services.

It probably helps that he’s in the right place at the right time; with NASA strapped for cash and about to retire the Shuttle, he might just hold a monopoly on American crewed launch services…

]]> By: Jacques Chester http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/04/08/reusable-rockets-from-paypal/#comment-191762 Jacques Chester Sun, 08 Apr 2007 19:43:27 +0000 http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/04/08/reusable-rockets-from-paypal/#comment-191762 <blockquote>But none has gotten close to what SpaceX has achieved.</blockquote> I can't say that I agree. A Texas banker named Beal was working on very large rockets with an eye to the same prize: cheap, regular, private lift capacity. He was essentially put out of business by NASA changing the rules on him. A rotten business that fires my libertarian blood up. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beal_Aerospace

But none has gotten close to what SpaceX has achieved.

I can’t say that I agree. A Texas banker named Beal was working on very large rockets with an eye to the same prize: cheap, regular, private lift capacity.

He was essentially put out of business by NASA changing the rules on him. A rotten business that fires my libertarian blood up.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beal_Aerospace

]]> By: Fiasco da Gama http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/04/08/reusable-rockets-from-paypal/#comment-191761 Fiasco da Gama Sun, 08 Apr 2007 10:09:16 +0000 http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/04/08/reusable-rockets-from-paypal/#comment-191761 <blockquote>BFR</blockquote> Heh. Someone's been playing Doom.

BFR

Heh. Someone’s been playing Doom.

]]> By: Robert Merkel http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/04/08/reusable-rockets-from-paypal/#comment-191760 Robert Merkel Sun, 08 Apr 2007 09:34:12 +0000 http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/04/08/reusable-rockets-from-paypal/#comment-191760 Fiasco: I disagree a little: putting function bits of spacecraft together in space is kind of difficult - see ISS. But launching multiple propulsion stages/fuel tanks might be a goer. Musk plans something called the <a HREF="http://www.thespacereview.com/article/497/1" rel="nofollow">BFR</a>, which will get close to Saturn V class lift capabilities. You could do a Mars mission with only a few launches of something that big. Fiasco: I disagree a little: putting function bits of spacecraft together in space is kind of difficult – see ISS. But launching multiple propulsion stages/fuel tanks might be a goer.

Musk plans something called the BFR, which will get close to Saturn V class lift capabilities. You could do a Mars mission with only a few launches of something that big.

]]> By: Fiasco da Gama http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/04/08/reusable-rockets-from-paypal/#comment-191759 Fiasco da Gama Sun, 08 Apr 2007 09:09:02 +0000 http://larvatusprodeo.net/2007/04/08/reusable-rockets-from-paypal/#comment-191759 Awesome. More rocketry posts, please. Here's the link to the <a href="http://www.spacex.com/falcon1.php" rel="nofollow">Falcon1 technical specifications</a>, which give a lot of grounds for optimism: liquid oxygen/kerosene as a fuel is far better than stuffing around with rubber solid fuels or wierd tetroxide liquid oxidisers. Your point about Mars and reusability is well made: I strongly suspect that if a Mars mission ever gets off the ground, it'll be started through lots of smaller orbital trips, putting vessel bits into space for assembly, rather than a Soviet/NASA style One Big Bunger launch. Awesome. More rocketry posts, please.
Here’s the link to the Falcon1 technical specifications, which give a lot of grounds for optimism: liquid oxygen/kerosene as a fuel is far better than stuffing around with rubber solid fuels or wierd tetroxide liquid oxidisers.
Your point about Mars and reusability is well made: I strongly suspect that if a Mars mission ever gets off the ground, it’ll be started through lots of smaller orbital trips, putting vessel bits into space for assembly, rather than a Soviet/NASA style One Big Bunger launch.

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