Rules Set for $50 Million 'America's Space Prize'

"Edward Wright" wrote in message
om...
"Michael P. Walsh" wrote in message
...

Now, George, you know that a reusable spacecraft like Bigelow's
asking
for must be terribly, terribly expensive. It's been proven by
numerous
papers on Minimal Cost Design. :-)

Of course it will be. Depending on just how you define
"terribly, terribly expensive".

For me $50 million meets the criteria.

It probably doesn't for either Paul Allen or
Bigelow.

Aw, Mike, I wouldn't've pulled your leg if I thought it would come
off! :-)

I was just razzing George because because of all the times he said
expendables were the only way to go, at least for the next umpteen
decades. :-)

I wasn't intending to be serious, just pointing out that the
term "terribly, terribly expensive" is quite subjective.

Getting more serious, $50 million is an extremely low cost for a
reusable launch vehicle but not necessarily for a resusable capsule.
I don't even think that reusability is necessarily the most expensive
part of a manuverable passenger & cargo carrier. It depends on
how much propulsion capability is required and how complex the
system software/hardware combination is.

If you want to see how expensive it could get check the numbers
on how much Europe is spending on their ISS cargo carrier.

I have been breaking in a new computer and I think I have
finally reached a point where it is helping me get work done
rather than sucking up time to check out the new hardware/software
combination. (Considerably less expensive than a reusable
space vehicle).

Mike Walsh

Henry Spencer wrote:
Airliners carry liferafts, in addition to lifejackets. I don't
believe there has ever been a survivable ditching of a major
airliner, so how well they would work is unclear.

I seem to recall that one hijacked jet went down within sight of a
coast, and there were numerous survivors.

Also, a jet went down in the Potomac River due to ice, and there were
a few survivors.
--
Keith F. Lynch - http://keithlynch.net/
Please see http://keithlynch.net/email.html before emailing me.