From: Robert J. Bradbury (bradbury@aeiveos.com)
Date: Sun Sep 07 2003 - 17:50:25 MDT
On Sun, 7 Sep 2003, matus wrote:
> Zubrin's relatively simple STS-derived booster
> >looks like a hell of a good idea: use the
> >existing SSMEs, solids and external tank with
> >a sort of shuttle-minus-the-wings-and-wheels
> >concept.
>
> I had not heard of this idea, yet another excellent one from Zubrin.
Michael, don't go going all teary eyed over Zubrin's ideas.
I'm reasonably certain this is a modest extension of the Energia
and Buran configuration and that other people suggested things
along this line long before Zubrin. Bottom line on the Suttle --
NASA should have resolved the problems of recovery of the SSMEs
on the external tank rather than sticking them on the orbiter.
Zubrin also botched the entire "development of Mars" concept --
he gets into a discussion of taking hunks of Mars putting them
into space to provide solar power satellites but doesn't realize
that with nanotech you can dismantle the entire planet (using
the same basic type of development). He does not "get" nanotech
and does not "get" the O'Neill vision of living in space colonies.
The Mars atmosphere is essentially useless for things one would
like to use atmospheres for (providing atmospheric pressure,
shielding from UV rays, providing CO2 for plant life, etc.) so
it requires an expensive terraforming process which may include
hauling comets across a significant fraction of the solar system
to provide enough water, CO2 and atmospheric pressure -- it just
isn't worth the trouble.
Someday, if I ever have the time and energy, I'm going to see
if I can present a talk to the Mars Society starting out with
how nanotech can make significant contributions to colonization
and ending up with how, instead, it *should* be used to dismantle
the planet. Mind you, I may not return to the ExI list after
such a presentation. But boy, would I have fun bursting *that*
balloon.
Robert
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Sun Sep 07 2003 - 17:59:41 MDT