[ExI] Fwd: [Artemis] The Obama-Biden Transition Team looking into Space Based Solar Power.

[hkhenson]

At 04:19 PM 12/7/2008, Kevin wrote:

>Where's the evidence that the Obama-Biden Transition Team even know 
>anything about this proposal?  The headline isn't just hyperbole, 
>it's a lie.  I'm hopeful too; there was an article on Slashdot a 
>while back that also implied that the President-elect transition 
>team are looking into space-based solar power, but I'm desperately 
>looking for something the least bit credible.
>
>But I just wanted to thank the participants on this list for all the 
>interesting discussions about space-based solar power.  Khenson 
>keeps mentioning a webpage where he keeps his plans on but I haven't 
>found the link yet.  Does anyone know where it is?

http://htyp.org/Dollar_a_gallon_gasoline  How to make it

http://htyp.org/Penny_a_kWh  What you need

http://htyp.org/Hundred_dollars_a_kg  How to get it

http://htyp.org/Miller%27s_method  How to finance the whole project 
without government money.

These are wiki pages.  If you see errors, fix them, or make a note on 
the discussion page or email me.

>One suggestion though, if we don't have the technology to build a 
>space elevator, and if the technology probably isn't even possible 
>given our current level of development, why mention it at all?

Even with rockets you can make a case, though I think a weak 
case.   You can make a much stronger case with either the partial 
elevator that ends a planetary diameter out or using a rocket to pop 
up above the atmosphere and push the payload with an ablation propulsion laser.

>I mean, launching solar power satellites would probably be cheaper 
>using Star Trek transporters too, but it's pointless mentioning it 
>and it just makes you sound like a kook.  But SPS sounds like a 
>credible, *existing* technology, and that's the only thing that 
>makes it an actionable item that I think the President-elect, if 
>he's really serious about issues like the economy, energy, and the 
>environment, needs to take a long, well-examined, look at.  It's 
>interesting to note how many items on his platform this technology checks off.

Yep.  With oceans of space based solar energy we could even turn the 
CO2 back into oil and put it back in the oil fields.

>But, man, amazing stuff, if we can even get it off the ground.

It's a design to cost problem.  The ultimate cost of getting a kg 
into GEO is around $10/kg and 15 cents of electric power.

Keith