Angels flock to spaceflight

Delmar Fairchild, Barron, Wisconsin — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 22:22:40 GMT

Wouldn't it be better if the money spent by private individuals to fly into outer space was turned to finding an alternate energy source like cold fusion? Then after we figure that out, we could use that type of energy to explore outer space at our maximum effort. This would be something an investor would go for, far more than flying a few tourists into space.

Angels flock to spaceflight

Todd Ragland, Bellevue, WA — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 00:07:35 GMT

Fusion power, much less cold fusion power, is decades away from being a practical power source, according to the latest literature I've seen. Spending money on this area for research is surely a worthy objective. However, as an investor I'm not going to tie up major amounts of money on an objective that won't be realized until after I'm likely to be dead and buried. A five to seven year ROI is about as large a time window as I am comfortable with. I'll leave investment into basic research like fusion/cold fusion to government sources.

Angels flock to spaceflight

James Bowery, Portland, OR — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 00:56:14 GMT

I got very deeply into the failure of capital markets surrounding technology and determined the reason for the failure lay in the taxation of economic activity rather than capital itself. Basically, if you replace taxes on economic activities with a tax on the liquidation net value of assets, at what modern portfolio theorists call "the risk free interest rate" (usually defined as short term Treasury debt rates) then you subtract out the shelters for the risk averse investors and move capital into the hands of people who understand and manage risk correctly.

There are obvious reasons why this is unlikely to happen short of a violent revolution. We're stuck with very pathological capitalization structures and we may not be able to afford them anymore.

Angels flock to spaceflight

Chris Eldridge, Harrisburg PA — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 02:00:20 GMT

The private space flight movement might be able to do a lot of good just by specifically letting people how they feel. From what you've written, they all seem to believe such space flight is needed to help humanity become a two-planet species so as to protect our existence. You would be amazed at how many non-scientific people feel this way. People might care less about space science but believe Earth's time is limited. Although it's certainly a false hope to think that more than the smallest fraction might go, it is something people believe needs to be done. Thus, letting the public know that this is not just for a joy ride but has a much broader purpose (like Hawking has tried to do) may help stimulate even more interest and help expand the debate here at home. If the real intension is for the betterment of humanity then these tycoons might also want to consider putting down their competitive angle and start combining their resources at some point. This window of opportunity to try this may not last as long as people think. Acting NOW for the betterment of humanity is what is called for (to paraphrase the Dalai Lama).

Angels flock to spaceflight

Aaron Oesterle, Mason, Mi — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 03:58:47 GMT

Delmar,

As todd said, investors are usually looking for a return on investment (ROI) in 5 years - if you push, you might get lucky and get 10, but don't bet on it.

To carry it a step further, thihngs like sub-oribital space tourism and sub-orbital science are funding the development of space colonization, not exploration. And thats what we need to focus on. Private manned spaceflight is an intergal part of space colonization (quite arguably the missing piece, and why we've been stuck where we are for so long)

Angels flock to spaceflight

Tom Brosz, Sunnyvale, CA — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 04:24:12 GMT

There actually is investment going on in some radical fusion concepts. Check this out:

http://news.com.com/
8301-10784_3-9721240-7.html

Angels flock to spaceflight

Frank Stratford, Melbourne, Australia — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 04:49:10 GMT

This is encouraging news! Of course the larger issue is can we develop passenger spaceships that will get into full orbit and beyond, and do it cheaply enough to make a profit?...In the meantime though, these are great strides forward because cracking the investor market is a major key to future private space aspirations. We need to continue to be as pragmatic as possible. Congratulations to XCOR.

Angels flock to spaceflight

Frank Nyamweya, Nairobi, Kenya — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 06:47:59 GMT

How about putting the money into researching on cheaper food varietes and ways to turn arid and semi arid lands to feed the hungry and miserable of the world.

Angels flock to spaceflight

steve smyth lynn ma — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 08:30:40 GMT

anyone holding a spare 50 Grand?...Gaia Two will fly in atmosphere by next spring...and be ready for personal spaceflight, which only government regs can slow down, within this decade...get her started...I'll do the rest...click my name to learn more.

Angels flock to spaceflight

Stephen Fleming — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 12:16:26 GMT

Space solar power is a far more credible energy source than fusion. We KNOW the Sun is up there, and we KNOW how to turn solar power into electricity. We just need to get solar cell arrays up out of the atmosphere and into 24-hour-daylight so we can beam the energy back to Earth. Gigawatts are available with no emissions, no waste, and no negative environmental impact. NASA isn't interested in that. Entrepreneurial space companies are the path to making that happen.

Angels flock to spaceflight

Dan Hranek, Ashburn, Virginia — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 14:03:16 GMT

Cold fusion is an idea probably not worth considering. Fusion power, on the other hand, could become practical at any time. A breakthrough could happen this year. Then, the problem would be a practical fuel. Fuels readily available on Earth tend to produce too many high-energy protons causing a breakdown of the materials in the vicinity of the reaction. Helium-3 is probably the answer. Guess what? There is a nearby source of helium-3 (namely the Moon). So we are back to supporting commercial space travel. Human mining of helium-3 on the Moon presents many problems. However, large strides in robotics have been made. I suspect that robot mining of helium-3 on the Moon could be accomplished sooner than human mining. This would still require development of commercial space vehicles. So, let's get on with it!

Angels flock to spaceflight

D. Gordon, Aurora, CO — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 14:12:40 GMT

I think it's a shame the country whose leader once said, "We choose to go to the Moon and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard." has adopted the policy of "If something's hard to do, it's not worth doing."

Angels flock to spaceflight

Erick Herlitz, Temuco, CL — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 14:20:21 GMT

An efficient progress must go on a par with the development of clean technologies. For the social projection is fundamental to work the ideas: I vote by a development in both areas, simultaneously.

Angels flock to spaceflight

The Inventor, USA — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 14:43:29 GMT

They said if a airplane went through the sound barrier it would disintegrate. That if the fusion bomb were exploded in the atmosphere the entire Earth's atmosphere would ignite and kill everyone on the planet. When a train went faster then a horse people would lose consciousness.

These are just a few of the many wrong statements by the experts that had theory on their side.

We know this technology will work and the other scientist under trade secret agreement have also concluded that the possibility is there.

Angels flock to spaceflight

Todd Szafranski, Boston,MA — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 15:06:06 GMT

You can have some synergy with fusion technology and space with Helium 3 fusion technology. The moon is potentially a large sorce of Helium 3. NASA will start us off in getting back to the moon, commercial interests will then take over certain function if/when NASA is ready to move on to Mars. As stated above fusion technology is decades away, suborbital adventure flights are much much sooner. Start investing in it now so that commercial interests can make money, and then move on to orbital spaceflight, and then move on to moon flights. In my opinion, the sooner we can get back to the moon with a combination of government and commercial programs the sooner we will see fusion power.

Angels flock to spaceflight

Melvin Landers — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 15:43:39 GMT

I remember Jerry Pournelle at the Space Development Conference at SFO Airport when he was just getting started promoting space development. Gerry O'Neill was there. Larry Niven, Eric Drexler, Hans Moravec, Peter Glaser, and a host of other leaders in their fields were there, before they had become leaders. That was 1977.

The point being that private space development has become a lot longer term enterprise than most people had thought. Back then there were no billionaires like Musk, Allen, Branson, Bezos, Bigelow, etc. standing in line to make their mark in space.

The first developers to get their hands on space real estate are going to be trillionaires in short order. Imagine the stimulus for space development that will bring.

Things are finally happening.

Angels flock to spaceflight

Sameer, Phoenix, AZ — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 18:35:13 GMT

Delmar, If you beleive that money is better spent on research into fusion, you are quite welcome to invest your money into such ventures. It's called the free market.

Angels flock to spaceflight

Mark Pitt, Northglenn, Colorado — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 03:59:03 GMT

Hey Stephen Fleming, Have you given thought to the damage to plant and animal life if space based solar arrays beam energy to the surface of the Earth. Not to mention the increased atmospheric heating that will occurr if this is done that way. A more viable solution is to base the solar arrays on Earth. Then arrange the solar arrays to activate as the sun passes over them on the rotation of Earth feeding a global energy grid in sequence. Doing it this way we do not need to mine the earth for fuels needed to lift solar arrrays to orbit as well. Example the current space shuttle expends enough fossil and non fossil fuels to completely drain the average home swimming pool in just 25 seconds just to reach orbital attitude. These Earth based solar arrays can be grided and placed on the Earth more economically than lifting them to orbit. Then tied into the existing Earth electrical system taking conventional electrical generators off line as they are powered up and tied in.

Angels flock to spaceflight

steve smyth lynn ma — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 17:19:02 GMT

Until we get past the notion of escape velocity, and blazing re-entry...i.e...Rocketry Based Space Exploration, we're never going anywhere.

Both concepts are based on reverse thinking.

As in 1945...we have rockets.

What does it take to get a totally non-aerodynamic object, which will fall like an arrow out of upward oomph, to keep going?

How do we get such an unweildy contraption back, once it's in space?

\Without these restraints, escape velocity, and blazing re-entry cease to exist.
Click the name below to learn more.

Angels flock to spaceflight

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 12:31:29 GMT

Alan Boyle at Cosmic Log links to some recent investment news in his post, Angels Flock to Spaceflight, and suggests that the business of personal spaceflight might be entering a new and more mature financial stage - the transition from

Angels flock to spaceflight

Alan Boyle — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 17:14:51 GMT

After looking at Jeff Foust's excellent piece about space venture finance, I filled out the quote from Schlosberg above about the "show me" effect. Check out Foust's take at The Space Review:

http://www.thespacereview.com/article/887/1

Angels flock to spaceflight

steve smyth lynn ma — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 18:05:06 GMT

RE show me...nice idea, but once it's shown, it's public domain...the trick is to tease with just enuf, then be so far ahead of the game that by the time ya start playing show and tell, you're ready...this is no dog and pony racket, trying to sell snow to Eskimos, by showin' 'em purple snow, and telling 'em it's better for 'em.

"Build it and they will come" is a line from a badly dated, really hokey movie..."pay up, and I'll build it" is much more in line with reality.

D'ja hear that Mr. Whitehorn?

Space Travel ain't no free lunch...but, it's one hell of a lot less expensive than greed driven promoters make it out to be.

Angels flock to spaceflight

Doug Jones, XCOR Rocket Plumber, Mojave, CA — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 19:36:04 GMT

Mark Pitt, you worry about "damage to plant and animal life if space based solar arrays beam energy to the surface of the Earth." Microwave rectennae actually have *less* impact on the environment than solar arrays of the same electrical output for two reasons- the microwave receivers are about 90% transparent to sunlight (and thus do not block out sunlight to the ecosystem below them), and they are not black, and so do not reach near-boiling temperatures in the desert sun.

Indeed, earth-based solar actually causes *more* heating of the earth than microwave reception because the solar arrays are so much darker than the natural surface they would replace. Microwave receivers, painted white, can actually lower the desert temperature.

In addition, microwave receivers can be placed in regions where solar energy is scarce due to high latitude or cloudy climate.

A global energy grid does not exist, only regional ones- and their efficiency is abysmal. Serious proposals have been made to use microwave transmitters on the surface of the earth, combined with orbiting mesh microwave mirrors, to relay power between continents with better efficiency than high voltage cables.

Yes, there have been many experimental studies of the effects of moderate microwave exposure on various living things- and there are some people who will never be satisfied by the null results. Perhaps it's a good thing aluminum foil is so cheap, there's plenty for all the hats you may desire.

Angels flock to spaceflight

steve smyth lynn ma — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 23:00:22 GMT

Doug Jones...I'm glad your belief is so solid...sounds an awful lot like the beginnings of serious GeoEngineering to me...make the desert hotter, or cooler...c'mon...leave it alone.

The absorption of heat by black vs white gadgets as a plus/minus aspect of what, or how to do something, is pretty darn far out there thinking.

It ain't all black and white...eh?

Angels flock to spaceflight

Aaron Oesterle, Ann Arbor, MI — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 02:57:52 GMT

Doug Jones,

Thanks for the primer. People have played SimCity2000 one to many times.

BTW, again, congratulations on getting the investment

Angels flock to spaceflight

joe, london, england — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 12:49:13 GMT

all i will say is this, if they develop space flight, or a space hotel as their planing, and it costs like 5 times the cost of most holidays,

i would still go, and im a cheapskate,

they know this, if they can get it to work and be safe there gona make a mint, which will fund better technology, as has been going on for ever