Space Access Manifesto
What?
Get off this planet ASAP. Not in a runaway sense, but in an exploration
sense, or a tourism sense or an economic sense, or all of these things,
or none of these. Note that I take a general approach to Space Access;
it isn't necessarily only about getting humans off-planet; concepts
like Solar Power Satellites are needed, and require lots of launching.
Launching considered good. Flags and footprints considered bad.
Why?
Because it's a cool thing to do. Because there's money to be made doing
it. Because zero-g is fantastic. Because looking back at the Earth is
neat. Because some people want to go to Mars (I don't, but I don't mind
it that others do).
Space Access is a way to permit humans to expand outwards into the
solar system, and to improve life on Earth. I'm currently exploring
ways to reduce costs to access space.
How?
Rockets. They're not as inefficient as generally supposed. Maybe 10% to
get to orbit. Perhaps twice as much fuel as that needed to fly around
the Earth. They're also not as expensive as generally supposed- the
problem is the low launch rate. I'm going to try to do something about
that.
Probably without sticky out wings more like Soyuz. I quite like the
Skylon technology, but economics look dodgy, Alan Bond needs to sort that out.
What about Space Elevators? They might work too. They're currently
impossible though: CNTs are too short and/or too weak, the Van Allen
belts get in the way, and when CNTs
snap they release very large amounts of energy.
When?
Soon. 5-10 years.
Ideas?
Space
Access is all about lower cost/kg!!!!!
Space Access is all about launch rate.
High launch rate translates into high production rates into lower
costs. Reusable considered harmful! It leads to low production rates
and lower payloads. Studies show that it never wins out, with plausible
numbers for pure rocket vehicles. Which doesn't necessarily make it a truly bad idea; absolute lowest
cost isn't always 100% needed, but it typically is.
Solar Power Satellites demand high
launch rates and low cost space access. But that's not here
right now; the costs are at $5000/kg, when they need to be $400/kg.
Dumb(ish) rockets are probably the way forward for the time being, not
highly complex vehicles like Skylon, the market isn't ready.
Orbital space tourism is iffy-
it's a small market. It needs to grow. To grow we need a high launch
rate, which implies cheaper launch vehicles and lower prices.
Space suits are a problem;
they cost a lot and don't last well.
Suborbital space tourism is iffy too.
But it's still worth a try. The vomit comet is a great idea.
There is evidence that the Russians
are sandbagging somewhat on price. They can probably launch for
about 1/5 of what they do. The difference is profit. Profit is not a
bad thing; but it means they are capable of launching for rather less,
particularly in mass launch scenarios.
By contrast, the
American launch vehicles seem very expensive. The Shuttle is a basket
case; it's a dancing bear, it's impressive that it dances at all. Soyuz
dances, but it is probably slightly too crude right now; a reusable(?)
glider reentry portion is a much better idea.
Principles
It's
not performance uber al. Performance is important because it
increases payload size.
Cheap cargo to space
cheaply.
Humans need highly safe launch vehicles (not necessarily
highly reliable). Separate the
humans from the cheap stuff.
Expensive
cargo needs highly reliable launch. Geosat launchers currently
treat GEO transfer fuel as expensive. This needs to stop.
R&D
costs are as important as
cost/kg.
Turbopumps
considered harmful.
turbopumps are difficult to design, expensive to manufacture and do not
scale (you completely redesign them to make them bigger or smaller).
Links?
A rocket a
day keeps the high costs away - a discussion of why high launch
rates reduce rocket costs
Rotary
rocket stuff - an ill-fated SSTO space launch vehicle the
'Roton'
XCOR aerospace - a darn fine bunch
of guys that build rocket planes and rocket engines (many used to work
for Rotary)
Neofuel - interplanetary travel
on the cheap using water
HOW to DESIGN, BUILD and TEST
SMALL LIQUID-FUEL ROCKET ENGINES - building a petrol/oxygen
rocket engine
Skylon Spaceplane - a
single stage to orbit spaceplane that could be built within the next
ten years, bit expensive on the R&D though