Re: SPACE: Roton in New Scientist

Robin Hanson (hanson@econ.berkeley.edu)
Thu, 13 Aug 1998 16:14:30 -0700

Philip Witham wrote:
>Bob Truax ... invented the submarine launched ballistic missile,
>ran the Polaris missile project, ... first head of the Air Force
>space program, ... He says that getting into orbit is not a technological
>problem. The technology was solved decades ago. To get into orbit cheaply,
>you need to build your rockets Big and Dumb. ... It has never been tried.

The big question is: why hasn't he been able to convince investors to fund his approach? What are their reasons for skepticism?

Robin Hanson
hanson@econ.berkeley.edu http://hanson.berkeley.edu/ RWJF Health Policy Scholar, Sch. of Public Health 510-643-1884 140 Warren Hall, UC Berkeley, CA 94720-7360 FAX: 510-643-2627