I saw this on tv last night:
http://www-aero.meche.rpi.edu/Research/LaserPropulsion/index.html
They claim it will reduce launch costs for small satellites
by "several orders of magnitude" within something like 5
years.
But I can't find any exact figures. Does anyone have an idea
of about how many dollars/pound (or kg) we are talking about
here, and will this thing really make it possible for the
average joe (or company) to have their own satellites?
--
The future has arrived; it's just not evenly distributed.
-William Gibson
______________________________________________________________________
Visit Hypermart at http://www.hypermart.net for free business hosting!