In article , Pete Lynn says...

"Derek Lyons" wrote in message
...
"Len" wrote:
I know that some think that I am rather fickle with respect to the
variety of launch vehicle concepts that I have proposed. However,
with our very limited resources, I have found that this is, by far,
the best way to make the most progress for the fewest bucks.

Proposals don't make progress - bending and flying metal does.

It is rare that I can comprehensively disagree with something you say -
this is one of those rare occasions.

There is yet to be general conceptual vehicle design convergence, until
this happens bending metal beyond the component level will not be
justified. We are not yet ready to bend metal and doing so prematurely
is a very big waste of money, as has been elaborately demonstrated.

There is not even a general consensus on things like optimal flight
rate, vehicle size, orbital assembly, propellant choice, etcetera. We
do not yet even have well developed cheap OTS componentry like plug and
play rocket engines and guidance systems. Hell, many people think heavy
lift, space elevators, SDVs, etcetera, are a good idea. We are just not
yet ready to bend metal let alone fly it, except with regard to
fundamental research and development.


Sure we are. In fact, we are ready to bend several different kinds of
metal in parallel.

The lack of general consensus on any of the items you name, is not evidence
that we have not figured out what the Right Way to approach the problem is,
but that smart and capable people have concluded that there are *Many* ways
to achieve the desired goal. If at all possible, we should try them all.
If we've only got the money to try one at a time, whoever's actually got
the money gets to decide, and should not be stopped from deciding on the
grounds that not everybody is going to agree with him.

This approach, is likely to get us spaceships. Your approach, would have
the entire human race not only Earthbound but groundbound, as the heirs of
Wright, Langley, Bleriot, et al ad infinitum continued to argue towards an
eternally elusive consensus as to whether the One True Way to fly involved
a monoplane, a biplane, a helicopter, or a zeppelin.


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