Another article about the medical and ethical issues. Too bad it doesn’t point out the need for a gravity lab.
Category Archives: Space
A Pressing Question
Thought Exercise: Dinosaurs never went extinct, became dominant species. How expensive would it be to send dino Neil Armstrong to the moon?
— Political Math (@politicalmath) April 3, 2015
@politicalmath Have to specify species. They come in different sizes. Also, do we have to bring him back?
— Rand Simberg (@Rand_Simberg) April 3, 2015
@Rand_Simberg OF COURSE YOU HAVE TO BRING HIM BACK! YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE A DINOSAUR ON THE MOON!
— Political Math (@politicalmath) April 3, 2015
@politicalmath Well, you just made the problem a lot harder.
— Rand Simberg (@Rand_Simberg) April 3, 2015
@politicalmath Who are you to say I can't leave a dinosaur on the moon? There's nothing about it in the Outer Space Treaty
— Rand Simberg (@Rand_Simberg) April 3, 2015
@politicalmath Anyway, the answer is "yes," but you couldn't do it in a single launch. Dinosaur to orbit first, then propellant separately.
— Rand Simberg (@Rand_Simberg) April 3, 2015
@politicalmath Do you want to know total program cost, average cost, or marginal cost? How many lunar dinosaur missions are we talking here?
— Rand Simberg (@Rand_Simberg) April 3, 2015
@Rand_Simberg I'm assuming a single mission, no research costs. Cost of materials / life support based on modern day human-based prices.
— Political Math (@politicalmath) April 3, 2015
@politicalmath Life-support costs would depend on whether or not you think dinosaurs are warm blooded.
— Rand Simberg (@Rand_Simberg) April 3, 2015
Anyone want to take a WAG at it?
SpaceX
…is starting to get busy.
Integrated Vehicle Fluids
A nice video, from Frank Zegler at ULA.
[Update a few minutes later]
Why SLS is insane.
DARPA’s Space Activities
I’m glad to see that someone is trying to address our access and resiliency issues.
Vandenberg
Bob Zimmerman was there recently, and took some pictures.
Space Access
I’ve put up an ad for the conference in my left sidebar. It’s probably the space conference with the most bang for the buck you can go to this year. I’ll be speaking there, but don’t let that keep you away.
Lefty Lunacy On Space Settlement
I had a lot of fun trolling the social justice warriors on Twitter yesterday, as a result of this.
Not sure what prompted it, but perhaps it was Linda Billings’ latest anti-capitalist space drivel.
SLS
This isn’t a space transportation system; it’s a cathedral:
The foundation that was already there at Michoud was too weak to support the tool. We had quite a job to reinforce it, to dig it out and then put it back so it could hold up the Vertical Assembly Center. To give you context for the magnitude of the new foundation, Louisiana is not known for its hard soil, and the new foundation that we laid for the Vertical Assembly Center would hold the largest building in downtown New Orleans, 1 Shell Square.
For a program that’s likely to fly, at best, twice.
Aerospace In California
There will be a discussion, sponsored by AIAA, live streamed from Sacramento this afternoon.
I don’t expect anything to come of it.