NASA/DARPA Super Mars Rocket

Powered by microwaves or lasers from the ground...sounds a bit much from
a space agency that can't figure out how to get to the Moon on their budget:
http://www.aolnews.com/weird-news/ar...rship/19683450
As to why something designed to fly around inside the solar system is
called a "starship" is something known only to the NASA PAO. :-D

Pat

On 10/25/2010 2:20 PM, Pat Flannery wrote:
Powered by microwaves or lasers from the ground...sounds a bit much from
a space agency that can't figure out how to get to the Moon on their
budget:
http://www.aolnews.com/weird-news/ar...rship/19683450

As to why something designed to fly around inside the solar system is
called a "starship" is something known only to the NASA PAO. :-D

And while we're working on that, it's also time for the US to become
"Team America - Asteroid Police":
http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/usmust...e advisersays
Since asteroids present a threat to the entire planet's surface, this
would be an ideal project for the UN to fund, with each country kicking
in funding in proportion to its total land area.
Try that one on for size, Putin. :-)

On Oct 25, 4:34*pm, Pat Flannery wrote:

Since asteroids present a threat to the entire planet's surface, this
would be an ideal project for the UN to fund, with each country kicking
in funding in proportion to its total land area.
Try that one on for size, Putin. :-)

This would be a more serious issue for Canada... Russia has a
population of about 150 million people, but our country has one of
about 30 million.

John Savard

On 26/10/2010 9:20 AM, Pat Flannery wrote:
Powered by microwaves or lasers from the ground...sounds a bit much from
a space agency that can't figure out how to get to the Moon on their
budget:

I think most people have lost faith in NASA by now. I personally am
waiting for private organisations to get there. I think privateers will
get there looooong before NASA does, more's the pitty.

On 10/25/2010 7:52 PM, Alan Erskine wrote:
On 26/10/2010 9:20 AM, Pat Flannery wrote:
Powered by microwaves or lasers from the ground...sounds a bit much from
a space agency that can't figure out how to get to the Moon on their
budget:

I think most people have lost faith in NASA by now. I personally am
waiting for private organisations to get there. I think privateers will
get there looooong before NASA does, more's the pitty.

Privateers? Space pirates?
"Argh, raise the solar sail and clear the lasers fer action me hearties;
it's after the Frenchie's lunar freighter, her hold brimming with helium
3, that we go today. A double ration of Tang fer the first man that lays
a magnetic cable on her, and then back to old England for our split of
the prize money, and all the pretty wenches in London."
....but little did the crew of the "Lady Diana's Revenge" suspect that
the French were waiting for them, and that the freighter "Milady de
Winter" was as full of cunning tricks as her namesake. ;-)

Pat

On Oct 26, 11:46*am, Pat Flannery wrote:

Privateers? Space pirates?

Well, I think he just meant "private businessmen". Space piracy is
unlikely to be profitable. And things getting so messy in space that
Earth governments actually go to the length of issuing _letters of
marque_ by means of which people could be privateers rather than mere
pirates... not coming any time soon.

I think we can leave such things to Elizabeth Moon's novels about
Kylara Vatta for the time being.

John Savard

In sci.space.policy Quadibloc wrote:
On Oct 26, 11:46?am, Pat Flannery wrote:
Privateers? Space pirates?

Well, I think he just meant "private businessmen". Space piracy is
unlikely to be profitable. And things getting so messy in space that
Earth governments actually go to the length of issuing _letters of
marque_ by means of which people could be privateers rather than mere
pirates... not coming any time soon.

Since no terrestrial governments "own" (speaking legally rather than
practically) space wouldn't those letters of marque have to come from
the UN?-) Privateers would then be permitted to paint their ships that
lovely light blue color

rick jones
--
The glass is neither half-empty nor half-full. The glass has a leak.
The real question is "Can it be patched?"
these opinions are mine, all mine; HP might not want them anyway...
feel free to post, OR email to rick.jones2 in hp.com but NOT BOTH...

On 10/27/2010 9:05 AM, Rick Jones wrote:


Since no terrestrial governments "own" (speaking legally rather than
practically) space wouldn't those letters of marque have to come from
the UN?-) Privateers would then be permitted to paint their ships that
lovely light blue color

Oh yeah, the UN space pirates: "Strike your flag or I'm going to issue a
strongly-worded letter." :-D
Since space law is primarily based on the law of the open sea, you could
indeed have two nations at war with each other trying to either destroy
or seize each other's space assets. The Soviets were concerned we were
going to send a Apollo mission to try and board one of their Salyut
stations, And I saw at lest one magazine illustration back around
1974-75 of two Soyuz grabbing control of Skylab after our final mission
to it.
It probably didn't help the Soviet's paranoia that minus its solar
arrays, a Salyut would fit in the Shuttle's cargo bay.

Pat

On 27/10/2010 9:58 AM, Quadibloc wrote:
On Oct 26, 11:46 am, Pat wrote:

Privateers? Space pirates?

Well, I think he just meant "private businessmen".

Exactly. I have a feeling Pat knew that, but the opportunity was too
good to pass up. :-)

On 10/27/2010 3:03 PM, Alan Erskine wrote:
On 27/10/2010 9:58 AM, Quadibloc wrote:
On Oct 26, 11:46 am, Pat wrote:

Privateers? Space pirates?

Well, I think he just meant "private businessmen".

Exactly. I have a feeling Pat knew that, but the opportunity was too
good to pass up. :-)

That was indeed the case. ;-)

Pat