Other nations know SpaceX has won but the USA could build a lead in space sustainable to 2100

[GhostZ06]

Every other Space Agency in the world knows that SpaceX has won with reusable rockets. All of the existing non-reusable rockets cannot compete. The Japanese, Chinese, Europeans and Russians know that SpaceX is going to take all of the commercial space launch. SpaceX already has over half of the commercial space launch.

The US just needs to kill Space Launch System (SLS) and put the $4 billion per year into incentivizing more flights of SpaceX rockets.

The US could redirect the SLS money to just purchase SpaceX BFR flights and put up thousands of people into space, build a gigawatt of space-based solar power and establish lunar bases and space mining. This would give the US a lead in space that could be sustained until 2100.

Build the first large solar space power generation system. Do not beam power to the ground. Use a gigawatt of power to industrial space.
Right now the space industry is launching about 500-700 tons per year.

The US spends $60 billion per year on NASA, military and intelligence space programs. This means over $1.8 trillion over 30 years is what would be the expected budget. There is also the commercial space industry and international space efforts.

Putting the $4 billion per year that is being wasted on Space Launch System towards building a gigawatt of Space Based Solar power and the first large space station.

The International Space station cost over $100 billion. The cumulative budget put into the space shuttle program was over $200 billion.

Build a Space construction colony and hotel

The Orbital Assembly videos describe a pathway that would lead to the first large 18000 person colony.

Orbital assembly describes a reasonable system of welding modular segments and then using flying space drones and crawling space drones to move pieces into place and to further weld segments together.

They have selected the main construction material of magnesium nanocomposite for lightweight and strength. There have already been tests of electron beam welding.

They want to use seven layer bora silica glass for the windows. This was used for the ISS (International Space Station) capola window.

Icarus Interstellar had a proposal for 10,000 person worldship. The habitation ring of the ship design could have Bigelow Aerospace inflatable modules attached to a basic frame.

The proposed worldship had 40 modules that were 120 meters by 155 meters. Two Bigelow BA2100 modules that are already designed could be used and provide more space than the space station.

Bigelow has 2100 cubic meter modules designed that are 18 meters by 12 meters. Cruise ship rooms are about 60 cubic meters. A Bigelow BA2100 module could have 15 rooms each. Half the space used for hallway and other purposes. 100 BA2100 modules could comfortably hotel about 1,500 people. Less room is needed for temporary stays than for long-term colonization. The first megabase would be for a more crude hotel and to house people to work on industrializing space.

A SpaceX BFR could launch two BA 2100 modules at a time. The bigelow modules are built on the ground and would only need to be attached to a rotating frame.

About 8 SpaceX BFR launches could be sufficient for an initial 150 person rotating station.

Ten SpaceX launches would provide a 150 person station with one gravity from rotation. Those could be the subsidized launches to get the flight rate up to support lower cost. Three such stations could be built per year including supporting the cost of Bigelow modules

Boeing 747 and B52s

Over 1500 Boeing 747s were built.

The US also had a sixty year lead with the B52 bomber. China’s newest heavy bombers cannot match the range and payload of the B52. The US did not just build one or two. The US built 744 of B52s. B52s were also built by Boeing.

Hundreds of SpaceX BFR (civilian and military) could follow what the Boeing 747 and Boeing B52 were.

The US has had a twenty-year lead fall into its lap with SpaceX and the BFR. Now just use it to build.

https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2018/...uild-a-lead-in-space-sustainable-to-2100.html
enjoy gentlemen

Big read

 

[snakedafunky]

Why would you need to build space-based solar systems if Donald just brought back clean coal?
Seems like a waste of money to me.

 

[GhostZ06]

Why would you need to build space-based solar systems if Donald just brought back clean coal?
Seems like a waste of money to me.

very good point

 

[tramendous]

Im sad that i wont live long enough to see human settlements and cities on other planets

 

[MadSquabbles500]

so more money into Elon Musks pockets?

 

[superpunch]

Blows my mind that we have the technology to make interstellar capable rockets, would have had manned missions to Mars in the mid 1970s and manned missions to the outer solar system like Jupiter in the early 1980s. And who knows to where by 2018? Yet we struggle to send a man into fucking space, let alone even the moon.

Space technology is such a joke <_< The most important and coolest thing we can be doing now, and we failed it. Our society functioned to make advancements to bullshit like 4K TVs and 3d porn but failed on exploring the universe. There's something fundamentally sick about that.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_(nuclear_propulsion)

 

[JonnyRingo84]

Blows my mind that we have the technology to make interstellar capable rockets, would have had manned missions to Mars in the mid 1970s and manned missions to the outer solar system like Jupiter in the early 1980s. And who knows to where by 2018? Yet we struggle to send a man into fucking space, let alone even the moon.

Space technology is such a joke <_< The most important and coolest thing we can be doing now, and we failed it. Our society functioned to make advancements to bullshit like 4K TVs and 3d porn but failed on exploring the universe. There's something fundamentally sick about that.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_(nuclear_propulsion)

meh.

for the people or govts investing in space tech, there is no immediate payoff, other than carrying satellites into space. why would anyone pay to go to mars?

its super cool, and MAY lead to some sort of unbelievable profit as other scientific advancements have, but no govt or individual has much of a guarantee.

 

[superpunch]

nm

 

[Black Helicopters]

National pride, ambition. Things we had in the 1950s and 1960s. Things that rising nations like China have in spades.

That wasn’t patriotism, that was the Cold War. China needs to make it clear that they intend on replacing America as the superpower so we can have a competition.

 

[JonnyRingo84]

National pride, ambition. Things we had in the 1950s and 1960s. Things that rising nations like China have in spades.

meh.

most chinese probably dont give a shit about such things. theyre told to give a shit about it.

i LOVE the idea of NASA getting lots of funding, and space x doing its thing. i was just answering the other poster's question. there hasnt been this continuum of funding because it is a difficult thing to fund. you NEED some sort of irrational nationalism to justify paying for shit like that.

 

[Bobby 3 Sticks]

We can't fund a solar city on moon we'd drain the sun.....

http://abc11.com/news/nc-solar-farm-rejected-over-fear-it-will-suck-up-energy/1122081/



Jfc that story gets me every time

 

[tramendous]

Blows my mind that we have the technology to make interstellar capable rockets, would have had manned missions to Mars in the mid 1970s and manned missions to the outer solar system like Jupiter in the early 1980s. And who knows to where by 2018? Yet we struggle to send a man into fucking space, let alone even the moon.

Space technology is such a joke <_< The most important and coolest thing we can be doing now, and we failed it. Our society functioned to make advancements to bullshit like 4K TVs and 3d porn but failed on exploring the universe. There's something fundamentally sick about that.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_(nuclear_propulsion)

The Chinese had the tech to colonize North America before anyone but didn't. Politics/economics/desperation decide these things more than technology in my opinion.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ming_treasure_voyages

 

[NoDak]

Build a Space construction colony and hotel

Boeing 747 and B52s

https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2018/...uild-a-lead-in-space-sustainable-to-2100.html
enjoy gentlemen

Big read

Unfortunately, shelving the SLS is much easier said than done. It's a coveted political pork barrel project to those that hold the power of the appropriations purse, and so many billions have already been plunged into it. At this point, NASA does not need to be in the business of owning and maintaining launch vehicles.

That isn't to say I'm even remotely advocating slashing funding on the whole, just a redirection. Not necessarily just towards the projects pointed out in the OP article but to their own science mission and space technology directorates which is where the agency actually shines most.

Why would you need to build space-based solar systems if Donald just brought back beautiful clean coal? Seems like a waste of money to me.

Fixed.

There's something fundamentally sick about that.

Maybe if the DoD budget wasn't 36 TIMES the size of our space agency, a lot more would've come to fruition by now? But yea, we need a fucking "space force" for good measure while we're at it, @Rebound59. Talk about fundamentally sick.

That wasn’t patriotism, that was the Cold War. China needs to make it clear that they intend on replacing America as the superpower so we can have a competition.

They do, and then some. Not PRC's style though.

 

[Andy Capp]

We can't fund a solar city on moon we'd drain the sun.....

http://abc11.com/news/nc-solar-farm-rejected-over-fear-it-will-suck-up-energy/1122081/



Jfc that story gets me every time

UGH.

 

[Andy Capp]

Unfortunately, shelving the SLS is much easier said than done. It's a coveted political pork barrel project to those that hold the power of the appropriations purse, and so many billions have already been plunged into it. At this point, NASA does not need to be in the business of owning and maintaining launch vehicles.

That isn't to say I'm even remotely advocating slashing funding on the whole, just a redirection. Not necessarily just towards the projects pointed out in the OP article but to their own science mission and space technology directorates which is where the agency actually shines most.

Fixed.



Maybe if the DoD budget wasn't 36 TIMES the size of our space agency, a lot more would've come to fruition by now? But yea, we need a fucking "space force" for good measure while we're at it, @Rebound59. Talk about fundamentally sick.



They do, and then some. Not PRC's style though.

Hello?

 

[Cid]

Why would you need to build space-based solar systems if Donald just brought back clean coal?
Seems like a waste of money to me.

Only just found water on Mars recently, haven't even landed there. How you supposed to clean the coal without water?

 

[Headkicktoleg]

Only just found water on Mars recently, haven't even landed there. How you supposed to clean the coal without water?

Launder it through shell companies.

 

[ShinkanPo]

So nars

 

[NoDak]

Hello?

Right. Umm...

 

[MadSquabbles500]

Blows my mind that we have the technology to make interstellar capable rockets, would have had manned missions to Mars in the mid 1970s and manned missions to the outer solar system like Jupiter in the early 1980s. And who knows to where by 2018? Yet we struggle to send a man into fucking space, let alone even the moon.

Space technology is such a joke <_< The most important and coolest thing we can be doing now, and we failed it. Our society functioned to make advancements to bullshit like 4K TVs and 3d porn but failed on exploring the universe. There's something fundamentally sick about that.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_(nuclear_propulsion)

Atomic bomb explosions arent going to make trips around the Star System that much shorter. It may be more efficient at pushing any really big space ships we decide to make, but still be slow as heck.