Why Space? Indeed
Why Space?, Rick Tumlinson, Huffington Post
“To some of us who have the frontier calling, there is no question “Why space?” It makes no sense. We look out and know that out there are more galaxies than there are all the grains of sand on all the beaches and in all the deserts of the world and in each of those a million times a million suns, around which swirl millions of worlds, each different, each a question mark itself and each a possibility for new life, new knowledge and new places to be — and we wonder, how could anyone, anyone, ask such a question?”
Nice to see Huffington taking interest, but I hope his future columns are a little more substantive. Space has to satisfy someone’s need at an affordable price, whether that need is for scientific knowledge, useful technology, geopolitical influence, or marketable goods and services. When we get caught up in “exploration” because it is our “destiny” we are on thin ice.
Species survival would seem to be an adequate need, and the asking price for that could be quite high without being unreasonable.
oldscientist, I would agree. But sadly, species survival in a world populated by religious zealots, brutal dictatorships and nuclear and biological weapons proliferation is probably not at the top of many consciences (and I’m beginning to wonder if it matters to us as much instinctually anymore, as well.)
I agree with you Hoosier. Now that the Earth has produced 7 Billion orgasms the excess tends to kill any interest in species survival concerns, let alone that the human organisms are zealots, dictators, and crazies.
Old Scientist is correct in the greater sense that humans should be smart enough to find a place away from Earth to survive. The cost benefit justification is there given the probabilities of a mass extinction event. The reality is that 6,999,999,000 humans probably lack the intelligence and resource strength to see this and act on it effectively.
Think about his audience. Huff Post isn’t exactly scientifically literate. I’m sure he blew any number of minds.
So, justification is such: this is so big thing (and we are part of it), so ignoring it is very, very unwise.
I saw on BBC news the sentence is this the end of the space age and i just had to laugh. I my mind this is the begining of the space age!!!
“It is important to understand these are not just rich boys and their toys, but the harbingers of a revolution, raising up the best of our capabilities to reach for our destiny even as those with no vision decry our culture’s collapse.”
Steve
I was just looking at the post where you were asking about the reasons for humans to be in space.
You said
Is it settlement, resources, science, exploration, safety of the race, a psychological need, what? What is the real value of having humans in space?
My answer to your question is YES!!!!
When I compare Tinkers recoverable reusable lifter Idea to the complete throw away monster our foolish space program is wasting all my precious tax dollars on, I just get ANGRY!
When I realize the Orion people that could be building reusable spaceships are building billion dollar capsules, I just get ANGRY!
I see the Chinese will be ready to give us rides in their big reusable spaceships as well : (
Why don’t we/USA build a reusable spaceship soon?AWAKE UP AMERICA!/CONGRESS/NASA
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Why Space??? Its fun!!!
I was thinking fun thoughts about horizonal launch and after deciding to boost a jet with a merlin I ended up with this.
You want to recover a merlin booster engine?? Don’t let it off the plane. 🙂
2022
Stratolaunch’s third generation fly back booster with rocket air breaks
This air frame looks like Stratolaunch’s first big duel 747 jet only instead of 2 fuselages there are two beams. Also to get the maximum rocket fuel off the runway this is a bi plane with 12 Boeing 747 engines. From each beam hang a Merlin booster. Each one of these boosters has three or four Merlin’s engines plus an added Merlin engine that points in reverse. Strangely enough it looks a lot like the Wright brothers flyer. This plane is robotic, Dragon, and remote pilot controlled. From the crossbeams hangs a one stage to orbit full dragon rider.
Once off its runway it flies to the limit of its jet engines. At this point, 2 Merlin’s fire creating a slight ram effect on the jet engines to maximize jet benefit. The plane angles up and the jets are shutdown and the rocket plane uses the lift from its wings briefly till the air gets to thin. More Merlin’s start to fire and throttle up slowly to minimize max que. The rocket booster plane increases speed and altitude till it is traveling the same as when a falcon 9 booster separates from its second stage. The Second stage with dragon rider, air launches and heads to orbit. At this point the two reverse Merlin’s fire, slowing/air breaking the down range velocity and keeping the plane high enough to minimize air friction. Once the booster plane has slowed enough (about 2000mph down range speed), the Merlin’s shutdown and, it drops/flies down into the thicker atmosphere and powers up the jets and flies back to the runway.
Once on the ground the two Merlin boosters can either be refueled or can be quickly removed from the beams for checkout and new/refurbished ones mounted on the air frame for fast turn around time.
Changing boosters is almost as easy as changing cartridges on an Estes model rocket(simply hang and plug in data cable).
Is something like this possible???????