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Nuclear Thermal is a dead end.For a reaction a million times more powerful than chemicals a little more than double the Isp.For great expense the result is not proportional and a tremendous waste of resources. Stan Ulam, one of the great geniuses of the 20th century, realized that it was hard enough keeping a chemicalContinue reading “Still More Comments, so far”

I have to believe that at some point in the near future climate change is going to become the big issue for the human race. It will also become clear that it will be necessary to provide a western standard of living for a population of close to 10 billion. And the third step willContinue reading “SLS Hatred Day Two”

“There are very few people saying dismantle NASA and hand it over to commercial companies,-“ “-NASA has no business directly managing heavy lift anymore.” “-spend the money on fuel depots and the rockets that are already funded and have to make sense financially because they have to compete not just for government payloads but for commercialContinue reading “SLS Hatred Heats Up”

The new SpaceNews Comment Policy: We are a respectful community. Refrain from personal attacks, hate speech and profanity or you will be banned. “Approximately 130 known dwarf planets inhabit the trans-Neptunian region. Dwarf planets are the most common type of planet in the solar system, far outnumbering giant planets and terrestrial planets. They are also theContinue reading “Warning From Space!”

Strip mining Earth orbit as in destroying a natural environment for short term gain. “-everything it has (government) is confiscated from the people whom create it. Those are redistributed as a result of politics not free market economics-“ Neoliberalism is wrecking the planet. The Ayn-Rand-in-Space libertarian crazies that flood these space forums with their toxicContinue reading “Fiduciary Duty to Mammon”

“-if you can’t impose the same restrictions on everyone all you’re doing is harming yourself-“ Actually, that is completely backasswards logic. Unless you are placing profit above human life and then it makes perfect sense. Climate change threatens all of humankind. A few of us consider ourselves demi-gods though. “Just like building cars, refrigerators, TVs, and everythingContinue reading “Part 12”

I corresponded with Lunar Geologist Paul Spudis several years ago off and on about various things lunar both on his blog and by email. I asked him about tubes near ice and he told me there were no lava tubes near the polar craters with known ice. Nowhere even close. He would know. Maybe thereContinue reading “Part 11”

Some people are getting “exercised.” Actually, not GCR broadly, but the heavy nuclei component. And it is the world’s recognized authority on space radiation, Dr. Eugene Parker, the guy they named the space probe after, that has concerns. And others. NASA is not concerned about people who go on a couple missions and don’t goContinue reading “Part 10”

I think it is interesting that the most important piece of hardware that enables NPP is in production right now: The Launch Abort System on the SLS. Any well designed capsule/tower combination makes getting the “pulse unit” primary components into space safely fairly straightforward. You see to transport the fissile “pits” into space you haveContinue reading “Part 9”

“-that it would end up costing far more than it would produce. They simply say that they would still favor it, only as a way to ensure the survival of the species.” Not that much more. And NOT if the components were manufactured on the Moon. You keep spinning this. “Paying it’s way” compared toContinue reading “Part 8”