What Motivates Those of Us Here?

yes, i do understand that. yes, its good that you keep that in mind as constants.

Yes, i am interested in the very practical and very near term.

Specifically for me that means magnetic ram rockets with multiple engine systems to deliver a space plane to high orbit, launch probes to land on asteroids, and then a second wave to launch probes to deliver construction robots to asteroids.

And Airship To orbit habitat modules with internal centripetally generated pseudo gravity.

[Sam Fraser]

Originally Posted by prometheuspan

Specifically for me that means magnetic ram rockets with multiple engine systems to deliver a space plane to high orbit

Nope. PERMANENT is only interested in current launch systems: commercial US and Russian launchers and maybe Arianespace. [Tens of] Billions to develop a dramatically cheaper launch system in 10 years like your magnetic ram rocket with space plane can instead be used to start developing the moon now. And the first phase hardly needs billions: a dedicated lunar orbiter and some lunar rovers to survey the water ice deposits at the north pole could be done for $100m or less.

The research has been done, systems studied and even prototypes built for most aspects of lunar ISRU. It's now just a case of cherrypicking the best ideas and actually doing it.

[Rhyshaelkan]

P rojects to E mploy R esources of the M oon and A steroids N ear E arth in the N ear T erm

If you are confused about what we are trying to do, I suggest you read Mark Prado's webpage, you can find a link in my sig. Rock on! We can do it!

I'm not at all confused. I have been lurking for a few years.

I know exactly what you are about and exactly how i fit into it.

I also know the basic game play for different ways of going about it.

Which brings us back to reality; which is that its cheaper, more accessible, and by far saner to capture asteroids first and do the moon after.

The confusion that seems to exist still is whether or not you guys can rise to the occasion to warrant my interest and participation HERE.

I'm still waiting for anybody to link me to design process, design threads, or start a design conversation.

[joertexas]

Originally Posted by prometheuspan

I'm not at all confused. I have been lurking for a few years.

I know exactly what you are about and exactly how i fit into it.

I also know the basic game play for different ways of going about it.

Which brings us back to reality; which is that its cheaper, more accessible, and by far saner to capture asteroids first and do the moon after.

The confusion that seems to exist still is whether or not you guys can rise to the occasion to warrant my interest and participation HERE.

I'm still waiting for anybody to link me to design process, design threads, or start a design conversation.

I started posting here with my own ideas about how to mine an asteroid.

According to my research, an asteroid mission would require more fuel than could be economically boosted from the ground to LEO. So, I am now focused on a mission to provide that fuel from lunar resources as a stepping stone to the asteroids. All of my posts are still here on the site, and I've even posted the link to Jaqar's website for the relevant orbit calculations software I used to derive the mission profiles.

If you can show how a survivable - and profitable - asteroid mining mission can be flown in a reasonably safe manner with existing technology, then I'm all ears.

In the meantime, I am still working on a lunar robotic mission to explore the area around Hinshelwood Crater for the water ice the LRO insists is there in mass quantities. If you want to help, let me know.

JR