From: wingo%cspara.decnet@Fedex.Msfc.Nasa.Gov
Subject: SPS feasibility and other space development
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: University of Houston
Distribution: sci
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 05:40:00 GMT

All I can say is Wow! I have been reading many many posts on SPS and the topic
of space development and I am very impressed with what I have read.  I will not
attempt to answer the posts. I don't have enough time to say all of the things
that I would like to say I do put this out for your consideration as a set of
fundamental principles for space development including SPS.

Use history as a guide.

Space is not some unique adventure taken in the context of the history of
man. Our recent (last 550 years) history is rife with examples that can be
taken as analogs to space development.  The Spanish and Portugese "space race"
was undertaken for commercial purposes. One of the leading commodities of the
15th century was spice for foods. There was an insatiable demand for spice
to liven up foods that had been very bland since the fall of Rome and Roman
trade.  The spice islands were the intended destination of Christopher Columbus
not the new world. Lowering the cost of transportation was the driving element
of the Spanish/Portugese expansion.  (Sound Familiar?)

It is also history that it was other commodities that were discovered after the
voyages of Columbus that really sparked the move to the new world. (read Gold)
The Conquistadors would have never come and indeed did not go to places such
as Mali and Ghana in Africa to pillage because the larges profit was to be 
made in the new world with its uncharted riches. It was never in the minds
of the early explorers that they would be responsible for the largest single
increase in the European standard of living ever known by the taking of the
potato back to Europe.  This one plant did more to increase the availability
of food than any other discovery and for that reason is more valuable than the 
Gold taken from the Americas. There is a myriad of such stories of the
discovery of some plant that changed forever the lives for the better for the
Europeans. There are some books written on this subject that I do not remember
the name of that will illustrate the importance of these discoveries.

We have not scratched the surface at all in the exploration and developement
of space.  We need to change the foci somewhat from the grand discoveries of
great things to a thourough search mission for resources that will increase
the wealth of our planet.  No longer do we have to rely on the hit or miss
propostion of discovery of ages past.  In this new area we do not have anyone
to fight but the dangers of uncharted territory. Just gaining the ability to
handle the 1986A nickel iron asteriod with its trillion dollars worth of
Platinum and 90 billion dollars worth of gold would pay for all of the grand
plans that are put forth.  This is just one of thousands that exist in the
inner solar system.  Look at the moon; each crater is a potential bulls eye
for the brother of 1986 A. I am encouraged at some of the things that JPL
is doing in this area that they are not talking about. I will let Ron let
the cat out of the bag on that stuff.

To catagorically state that the developement of the other 99 percent of the
matter of the solar system is uneconomical is simply the manifestation of
a geocentric attitude. I do not think that any of these technologies and or
systems will in and of themselves make an overwhelming argument for the
exploration and developement of space. (except for a closer flyby of a relative
of 1986A that could be exploited) BUT taken together the technologies and
systems proposed for this or that purpose to solve this or that problem will
more than justify the investment of resources necessary to bring these 
projects to fruition.

I apologize to everyone for my flame post. It just irks me to no end to be
criticized for not publishing numbers accurate to ten digits by anyone who 
uses only rhetoric with no supporting numbers to argue a point. I wish I
had the time to sit down on here and truly engage in a detailed analysis of
these systems.  I admire Allan Sherzier even if he does fudge the numbers a
magnitude:-) or so because he at least will put in several hours of research for
his posts as well as step direction in the  path of the flame throwers who
take issue with his ideas. What I will not tolerate is folks who from a 
postion of authority simply denegrate an idea for what ever reason and I posted
in detail a response to the person who I flamed who wrote me.  

We are in a difficult time for the exploration and development of space. Other 
interests have won the public relations battle for dollars in Congress with most
of us to busy shooting ourselves and each other in the foot to notice. I heard
that the NSS office in DC is up for sale.  That is a sad testimony to our
inability to get a message across.  The dream is still alive and has just
as much potential as it ever has. It is up to people such as the ones on this
net who will do the leg work that it takes to develop the counterargument
to those who wish us to all live a limited life and be content with less.

Dennis, University of Alabama in Huntsville

PS

I heard some interesting news today.  The NASA Marshall Space Flight Center,
the birthplace of our Saturn Class dreams has awoken the giant.  The only
test stand in the West that was ever used to hold down a Saturn Class rocket
for a full up test firing of the Saturn V first stage is about to rumble again!

Side A has been used for the last four years as an SSME test bed evaluation
stand for firings of SSME's with the Pratt Whitney Turbopumps and other 
SSME modifications.  FUNDING HAS BEEN OBTAINED AND WORK IS IN PROGRESS TO
BRING A SATURN V F1 ENGINE OUT OF STORAGE AND RETURN IT TO FIRING STATUS. Take
that and stick it in your pipe and smoke it. One engine has been brought out
and has been cut apart to determin just how it was put together in the first
place by the UAH propulsion group in concert with the MSFC propulsion branch.
A second F1 will be refurbished partly to see what is involved and the engine
will be test fired on the other side of the test stand where its five siblings
where fired together in 1964-65. I will of course post progress reports as I
hear them and will put out a message when firing time nears so that you poor
poor deprived folks out there who do not live in Huntsville can get a chance
to hear the engine heard round the solar system.

*************************************************************************
Revive the Saturn V!
*************************************************************************