Transterrestrial Musings and Parabolic Arc has coverage as does Hobbyspace.
– Biggest problem is market demand
– Near term markets – ISS resupply, propellant depots, debris cleanup, tourism can help create markets…
– long-term solution: space settlement
– Changes required:
* no major technical breakthroughs necessary;
* breakthroughs that reduce risk and cost;
* end to space being a jobs program, respect for the private sector;
* sensible engineering and science-based legal regulation;
* financial risk is global economic collapse…”very serious deep structural problem I’m not sure how to fix”. Will the dollar be worth anything in three months?
* availability of risk capital and investor patience (a role for NASA);
Technical needs:
* active cooling
* high reactive engines
* reusable launch systems
Achievable Goal
* RLVs could reduce cost to $500 per pound (within 5 years), $100/lb within ten to fifteen.
Dallas Bienhoff, The Boeing Company
“Top 10 Technologies for Reusable Cislunar Transportation”
Aerocapture transport system that moves between LEO and L1 – another system that goes between L1 and near the moon — another system to take it back and forth to the moon…
– Takes twice as long to get to the moon — 6 days instead of 3 days for Apollo…
– Twenty five tons of cargo
– Put in place to use lunar propellant
Top 10 Technologies Required
10. variable mixture oxygen/hydrogen space rocket engine
9. low-g and zero-g O2/H2 liquefication
8. low-g water electrolysis
7. deep space autonomous rendezvous and docking (AR&D)
6. Aerocapture (slow down in LEO using atmosphere in order to save propellant)
5. life-life reusable O2/H2 space rocket engine — engines that can operate for years on orbit
4. Aero-assisted entry, descent and landing (AEDL)
3. Long-term zero-G cryogenic storage
2. Zero-g cryogenic fluid transfer
1. Zero-g cryogenic fluid management
Proposed NASA Budget
– pushes a lot of the technology developments into late 2020s…
Schedule
– Need to put up an element per year to get this done in a reasonable amount of time
– About a billion dollars over three years for the tech development in NASA authorization
* refueling and storage
* propellant depots, insitu resource utilization
Joe Carroll, Tether Applications
“Tether Sling Concepts for LEO and Beyond”
– most of the work with tethers will be done in low Earth orbit….nothing ambitious things will happen in lunar orbit until it happens in LEO…
– Four “wild cards’ for ETO Transport:
* mid-air capture of multi-ton payloads — recover rocket stages
* collecting and recycling aluminum alloys in space
* high delta V slings in LEO to throw payloads
* artificial gravity research facility
Mid-air Capture
– if you can capture first stage for reuse, then large rockets (which can’t be recaptured) may not make much sense…
– most important thing for future of rockets could be parachutes and helicopters…
Collecting and Recycling Aluminum
– 2,100 tons of debris in LEO – 1,000+ tons is aluminum allows
– recycling “barely extraterrestrial” alloys
Electrodynamic Propulsion
– can be used for LEO debris removal or collection — can drag it down to lower orbit
– Russian policy is that debris in orbit should be reused — they own 72 percent of the mass of orbital debris
– could collect debris with electrodynamic tether…accumulate them in higher orbit and then recycling them…
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Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
Known for identifying cutting edge technologies, he is currently a Co-Founder of a startup and fundraiser for high potential early-stage companies. He is the Head of Research for Allocations for deep technology investments and an Angel Investor at Space Angels.
A frequent speaker at corporations, he has been a TEDx speaker, a Singularity University speaker and guest at numerous interviews for radio and podcasts. He is open to public speaking and advising engagements.