[ExI] Why no space colonies or lunar bases? was Mooon.

[Ben Zaiboc]

Samantha Atkins <sjatkins at mac.com> wrote:

On 07/22/2011 04:59 PM, John Grigg wrote:
>> Keith, I would think the answer is to let technology mature to the
>> point where we can built an effective space elevator, circa 2030 or
>> 2040.  And then the price of going into space plunges downward to I
>> believe around $100 a pound!

> Last I looked we are 2 (or was it 3) orders of magnitude too slow on
> elevator climber technology and more than 4 orders of magnitude off in
> cable material strength even in the smallest possible sample size that
> could be tested.  So I very much doubt we will see space elevators any
> time soon.


I think that's why John said "circa 2030 or 2040"

A decade starting in 2020 is quite a different thing to a decade starting in 2000.  Or even 2010.

And if a decade starting in 2030 isn't a /radically/ different thing, we're probably all wasting our breath.

Ben Zaiboc