Re: from 6 billion to 500 million: how?

From: John Marlow (johnmarlow@gmx.net)
Date: Mon Feb 05 2001 - 22:46:12 MST


My point? 'Twas a reply to spike complaining about the egregious cost
of getting things to Mars. My point was not that anyone 'deserves to
get into space for free' (though that would be nice)--my point was
and remains: It's expensive. Deal with it. (And not by launching
dismembered astronauts to save weight.)

  :)

jm

Original post:

You wanna play in space, you gotta buy a ticket.
You can't afford the ticket, you can't play.

jm

On 2 Feb 2001, at 8:20, Spike Jones wrote:

> John Marlow wrote:
>
> > You know I can't tell if you're serious?
> > I really can't. Not at all.
>
> Three things, John:
>
> 1. Do
> 2. The
> 3. Math
>
> Do the math! There are plenty of books out there, or just
> look around on the web. The actual equations are not that
> complicated. It will take a Titan III/ Centaur class lancher
> for each ~1000 kg that ends up soft landed on Mars. That
> works out to on the order of 100 bucks per *gram*.
>
> What am I missing? Please point out to me my order of
> magnitude error, and I will be the happiest rocket scientist
> in Taxifornia. {8-] spike

On 5 Feb 2001, at 17:38, Michael Lorrey wrote:

> Well, DUH. TANSAAFL. However, having decades of R&D to build on that do
> work, building the actual rocket is cheap (note: the V-2 rocket from
> WWII had a production cost of under $14,000 in current year dollars). If
> your interest is merely in being an 'astronaut', building a replica V-2
> seems the cheapest way to get to altitude. Imagine launching from a V-2,
> jumping at altitude, then free falling to a parachute landing. Talk
> about sky-diving.
>
> What is your point, if you think you deserve to get into space for free?
>
> John Marlow wrote:
> >
> > You are still, to my way of thinking, "buying a ticket"--i.e., paying
> > your way.
> >
> > jm
> >
> > On 5 Feb 2001, at 12:15, Michael Lorrey wrote:
> >
> > > Unless you build your own rocket.
> > >
> > > John Marlow wrote:
> > > >
> > > > You wanna play in space, you gotta buy a ticket.
> > > > You can't afford the ticket, you can't play.
> > > >
> > > > jm
> > > >
> > John Marlow
>

John Marlow



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