Next Big Future: Underground Nuclear Tests, Salt Formations and One Shot Kick Start to the Space Age
KarlSchroeder
· 9 months ago
Okay, am I the only one who thinks it's strange that nobody else has commented on this piece yet? I find this thread one of the most fascinating you've had in a while--and I've taken the idea and run with it a little ways on my own blog because I just couldn't get it out of my head.
One question, though: have you calculated the acceleration on the payload with the one-shot nuclear cannon design? Just off the top of my head, it would seem that it would have to be on the order of 10,000 gs, which is getting pretty extreme for the delivery of any interesting cargo other than fuel. Or am I wrong?
nextbigfuture
· 9 months ago
You are correct. The acceleration is extreme. But I would argue that being able to deliver refined metal, water, fuel and other material that can take the acceleration is worthwhile if it can be done cheap enough $1-20/kilogram.
Water and fuel and food are heavy supplies that a colony would need. Water and fuel and metal are needed for industrial projects.
Each mission is probably about $1 billion. So $100,000 per kilogram to the moon. If you do not have to take fuel, water, metal and anything you can harden up. Then you are making the 10 tons 20 times more efficient at deliverying the fragile stuff. people, electronics etc... Or you can avoid the $20 billion cost of the new launch vehicle or Direct 2.0 and are able to use existing vehicles to deliver lighter loads.
crisericson
· 9 months ago
Hi! Could you extend the illustrations out a little and put where you think Hillary Clinton fits in and put where you think President Obama fits in and put the Iranian leaders in there somewhere and show us a more complete kind of chess board with not just the scenery and parts, but the players?
All Comments
One question, though: have you calculated the acceleration on the payload with the one-shot nuclear cannon design? Just off the top of my head, it would seem that it would have to be on the order of 10,000 gs, which is getting pretty extreme for the delivery of any interesting cargo other than fuel. Or am I wrong?
Water and fuel and food are heavy supplies that a colony would need.
Water and fuel and metal are needed for industrial projects.
Nasa Constellation plan is to spend $20+ billion developing a 125 ton to LEO chemical rocket that could deliver about 10 tons to the moon.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_outpost_(NASA)
Each mission is probably about $1 billion. So $100,000 per kilogram to the moon.
If you do not have to take fuel, water, metal and anything you can harden up. Then you are making the 10 tons 20 times more efficient at deliverying the fragile stuff. people, electronics etc...
Or you can avoid the $20 billion cost of the new launch vehicle or Direct 2.0 and are able to use existing vehicles to deliver lighter loads.