Space Forum / Space Policy / January 2004

I have made a web page with short descriptions of several space projects
that might make commercial sense after we have cheap access to space
(CATS).  In my model tourism to Earth orbit justifies the CATS
development, so all of these are after that.  

We've got Signal.
All our [Mars] Bases belong to us!

I was quite anxious when they lost the carrier signal, but when
everyone jumped around in JPL at 2355 EST, I couldn't hold back
smiling! Let's hope Opportunity follows the Spirit!

...Really good photo and it appears to have survived the encounter
quite intact! Congrats to the Stardust team!
                OM

I'm trying to figure out time-of flight for hyperbolic fast transits
from Earth to Jupiter, and it's not going well. Can anybody point me
towards either a table of such (with, say, varius departure V's at
earth, and the time of flight to Jupiter orbit), or perhaps a

I've been tuning in to NASA TV for the last several days.  Intermittently,
different NASA officials  respond to questions from the general public
through a telephone hook-up.  What amazes me is that although NASA can share
with us its communications with a robot 300 million miles ...

There was previous discussion here about using a whip to accelerate a
payload.  My interest isn't in a space launch, but in replacing "light
gas guns" which are sometimes used in hypersonic research.  Has anyone
heard of whips being used to launch objects?

one thing that has not yet mentioned (at least i could not find any
mention of this) is the opportunity of using SSO as a manned sounding
rocket ..
it fills a gap betwenn current zero G planes, current sounding rockets

Time for 2003, the year in space:
Most significant story: The Columbia disaster, not only for the lost of an
orbiter and a brave crew, but for what it has done to crystallize the need
for a change in space policy. The theory seems to be that if people are

A little over six and half hours to go.  Good luck Beagle, you can do
it.
Christopher
+++++++++++++++++++++++++

With the growing number of suborbital space vehicle projects, and now
with the  supersonic flight of the SpaceShipOne, the question is
constantly raised as to whether manned suborbital RLVs will benefit
the development of orbital RLVs.

A look at a recent press release photo from ILS
http://www.ilslaunch.com/pictures/ilspicsgall/02original/DSC_0014.jpg
shows display models and posters showing the Atlas-V-Heavy.
Has anyone insight, how active Lockheed/ILS is pursuing the

Just some ideas I've grouped from reading around I'd like to have
people toss around about Mars Colonization...
To live on Mars, we'd need, ordered by necessity to survive, along
with a life expectancy being deprived of it:

Just a quick poll to know if there would be people interested in
participating or listening to a weekly or daily Internet Radio
talk-show aimed at discussing space policies, news, technology,
history, as well as aeronautics in general.

In general just check out http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/
or directly at http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/23.04.html#subj6
http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/23.05.html#subj5
http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/22.04.html#subj5