I was on last Monday; it’s been archived.
And sorry for light posting, but last week (and weekend) was wall-to-wall space conferences, between Space Tech Expo in Pasadena, and ISDC by LAX. And now I have three weeks to write a proposal for the LEO Commercialization NASA Research Announcement that came out the week before.
Hey Rand, two years ago I sent the head of ESA an email. Here is that email.
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I would be very happy if private companies are actively supporting the idea…
J.-D. Wörner
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That was the reply. Here is the email I sent.
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Dear Johann-Dietrich Wörner,
I have been reading about your views on establishing a village on the Moon. I’m also am in favor of building a settlement on the Moon. But I think that private industry should build, operate, and provide transportation to the lunar settlement. NASA, ESA, and space agencies should purchase launch flights, and rent base facilities on the Moon. I have written to my members of congress about my views. Rep. Walter Jones, Sen. Richard Burr, and Sen. Thom Tillis. I have gotten replies from all of them, but I got a phone from Sen. Richard Burr’s office. It was about bringing back the DC-X program. That would have lead up to building a Single Stage to Orbit spacecraft. My proposal that I emailed to Sen. Burr, was to have DARPA offer a prize of $ 1 billion for the first SSTO spacecraft.
Now, if we were to build the Lunar Village, the same way that the ISS was built, then it could cost $100 billion, or more. So I think it would best to purchase launch flights to the Moon, and rent base facilities on the Moon. The first settlement would be built on the Moon’s equator. It would be built by a consortium, made up of several companies from all over the world. These would be transportation, communication, construction, mining, manufacturing, and agriculture. This company would be called The Lunar Company. Kind of like The Virginia Company. They built Jamestown back in 1607. A few years after the first settlement has been built, another settlement would be built. This one would be built on the Moon’s north pole, and would be built by a company called LunarSol. That stands for Lunar Solar Power.
We can build solar power plants on the Moon’s north pole, convert the energy into miicrowaves, and beam that power to Earth. It can be beamed to any place on Earth. Including remote villages. I think that we should go into space, not just for science, and exploration. But to make money, expand human civilization beyond Earth, and supply resources, and energy to the Earth.
I would like to hear your views on my proposal.
National Space Society Member
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That’s the email. I sent him a reply, but no answer to the reply.
And now I have three weeks to write a proposal for the LEO Commercialization NASA Research Announcement that came out the week before.
Excellent! Glad you decided to jump in.
“now I have three weeks to write a proposal”
So write it; we’ll wait. We’re not going anywhere. 😉
And once it’s written care to share?
Had I known about you being on the Space Show before the fact I might have called in since I am on vacation. As it is, you (and everyone else) lucked out!
🙂
…
“Tycoons have their downsides: Their successes can breed hubris, and their fantastic wealth often produces envy. But with so much of both government and industry seemingly ossified via interminable meetings and PowerPoint presentations, it’s nice to see someone shake things up. Sometimes, you need a few tycoons.”
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2018/05/29/jeff-bezos-elon-musk-lead-space-development-nasa-flounders-column/649720002/
I think having the tycoons, is mostly about shaking things up. And it more about political influnce, than having a lot money to invest.
Or I think mining the Moon to make water can be a small business, thing.
Though many tycoons will increasingly become involved as will big business.
And biggest businesses will be producing energy in space, which lead to get to energy from
Space transmitted/transferred to the Earth surface.
But perhaps before that is global transport, which is related a Amazon type retail using space environment to distribute products globally. And it seems best pathway to that, could involve using the Moon.