By the time Europe could develop its own crew launcher, it would be past obsolete (just as Ariane 6 is). They should be focusing on getting around in space with their own vehicles, not getting there.
[Monday-morning update]
Problem solved! Russia is offering to provide them with rocket independence.
[Bumped]
It’s always for me, and not for thee.
How we’ve mischaracterized it.
I’ve noticed that in public-policy areas in which we do a crap job of risk assessment/tradeoffs, it is areas in which there are policy agendas independent of the actual issues.
…are not “undemocratic.”
I hope that this is as good as it sounds.
We’re not making enough new people, so we’re going to have to keep the ones we have around longer.
Other than a Windjammer Barefoot Cruise on a schooner in the late 90s (the ship went down in Hurricane Mitch a month afterward), I’ve never been on one, and have never felt a strong desire to do so. This tale doesn’t inspire me.
I haven’t linked him in a while, but he has a nice remembrance of PJ, and some tart commentary on the mask Nazis.
…from recycling electronics and coal fly ash.
Whenever I see a breakthrough in processing like this, I always wonder how applicable it will be to space resources.
When I was at Rockwell thirty years ago, one of the projects I managed, with Ed McCullough (who died a couple years ago–NSS needs to update the page) and the late Bob Waldron was in adapting processes they’d been working on for beneficiation of lunar regolith to recover high-quality silicon and other things from fly ash. I guess it ended up not going anywhere after I left in 1993.
I’m supposedly quoted in this piece (or at least I gave Jim some suggestions), but unfortunately, it’s behind a paywall.