Category Archives: Economics

Business, Economics, Space, Technology and Society

Tethers Unlimited

7 Comments

Just had an interesting visit there, where they’re working on a lot of tech that will reduce (to the limited degree it exists) the justification for large-fairing launch payloads, with new orbital-assembly techniques, including 3-D printing. They’re working on (among other things) ways of building large lightweight trusses for orbital structure, that could lead ultimately to assembly hangars. They’re also developing ways to recycle a lot of plastic goods (like bubble wrap and zip locks) into cord to feed 3-D printers at the ISS. Very exciting stuff.

Business, Economics, Health, Law, Media Criticism, Political Commentary, Technology and Society

ObamaCare

51 Comments

…is dead:

The fact is that Obamacare has fallen apart without Republicans’ dismantling it. Almost all of its basic promises have failed, it is an economic shambles, and it is a political mess: Unsurprisingly, people still don’t like it. Less than a third of Americans support the individual mandate, three-fourths oppose Obamacare’s tax on high-end health-care programs, and more voters oppose the law categorically than support it. A quarter of voters say the law has hurt them personally. The question isn’t why Republicans haven’t gotten around to repealing and replacing it — the answer to that question resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for a while, still — the question is when Democrats will get around to admitting that, purity of their hearts notwithstanding, they and they alone — not one Republican voted for Obamacare — have created a mess that has introduced nothing to American health care except chaos.

[Update a few minutes later]

Surprise! Rates going up three times as much as reported.

Business, Economics, Media Criticism, Political Commentary, Space, Technology and Society

Tesla

28 Comments

Is it doomed?

Frankly, if so, I won’t shed a tear. I’ve never been a fan of companies that require government subsidies (as opposed to government contracts, as is the case with SpaceX) as critical to their business model. My only concern is any effect a Tesla bankruptcy would have on SpaceX, but there’s not reason in theory that it should, unless Elon has been continuing to fund it with his own money, which seems unlikely.

Business, Economics, Media Criticism, Space

Reaction Engines Hype

34 Comments

The UK investment into Reaction Engines is drawing some hilarious stories. First, it should “keep Elon up at night“:

Skylon, thanks to BAE investment and backing, has the chance to become the first true space plane that can take off from an airport, fly into space, and then safely return to the atmosphere and land on the same tarmac where it took off. From there, the path to further space exploration can be achieved. For the time being, SpaceX has not yet been able to produce an effective disposable rocket.

This incident, together with the loss of the Progress rocket last April and Cygnus in 2014, are likely to cause some logistics problems for the ISS. Had SpaceX’s launch been successful, it would have marked a significant milestone for the future of space travel. However, this is not yet the case. Despite SpaceX’s reassurances, there is evidence the company may need to make significant changes or abandon ship.

And yet, interestingly, no such “evidence” is provided. #ProTip: A rocket that has successfully delivered payloads to orbit nineteen consecutive times, and which continues to sign up launch customers, is an “effective” rocket, disposable or otherwise.

This is what happens when airplane designers try to build a launch system (I saw this with North American people during the NASP program as well). They don’t understand how launch systems work, they don’t understand the source of the cost, and they think that the solution is to build an airplane, because everything look like a nail. No one actually familiar with the launch industry would write a silly article like this.

And then there’s this:

The 24-hour slog from Sydney to London might soon(ish) be a thing of the past, thanks to the UK government.

The Brits have just pumped £60 million (USD $92.40 million) into a next-generation engine that — its makers claim — will make low-cost space travel possible for commercial customers.

But you and I might not be stepping abroad this super-plane for a while yet. The new ‘Sabre’ engine — a hybrid rocket and jet propulsion system which theoretically allows travel anywhere on Earth in four hours or less — is still at least a decade away, the Independent reported.

And if and when it happens, tickets will be a million dollars each.