On Mon, 2003-02-03 at 17:01, Kenward Vaughan wrote: > On Mon, Feb 03, 2003 at 10:26:57AM -0600, Ron Johnson wrote: > ... > > As much of a fan of "space" science fiction that I am, the pragmatist > > in me must wonder if space planes will ever become practical until > > some new, relatively compact and light-weight, thrust generating energy > > source is invented. > > > > Also, the *incredible* re-enrty speeds and friction will have to some- > > how be ameliorated. (We're all impressed when the SR-71 travels at > > Mach 3 at 26,000 meters, and it's titanium body expands so much to seal > > the fuel tanks, but Columbia was traveling at Mach 17 and the nose of > > the craft was so hot that it turned the atmosphere into plasma!) > > > > And it goes w/o saying that artificial gravity (that can be powered by > > the same enery source that propells the ship) will have to be invented > > so that man's skeletal system won't fall apart during prolonged space > > travel. (Also, imagine how huch easier it would make eating, sleeping, > > shaving, deficating, etc...) > > > > Saddened, > > Ron > > Of course, to get there, we have to continue pushing...
BUT... in which direction do we push? Do we (well, does NASA, but you know what I mean) continue to spend BILLIONS flying the Shuttles (for a couple of weeks per trip), and yet more BILLIONS to let a few astronauts live up in the tiny ISS? Or... do we put all the money into as-yet-unknown radically different propulsion technologies? > (Not suggesting your post implied otherwise, but someone is already shouting > that in this neck of the woods.) Those who do are mush-brains who have a distorted understanding of compasssion. -- +------------------------------------------------------------+ | Ron Johnson, Jr. Home: [EMAIL PROTECTED] | | Jefferson, LA USA http://members.cox.net/ ron.l.johnson | | | | "For me and windows it became a matter of easy to start | | with, and becoming increasingly difficult to be produc- | | tive as time went on, and if something went wrong very | | difficult to fix, compared to linux's large over head | | setting up and learning the system with ease of use and | | the increase in productivity becoming larger the longer I | | use the system." | | Rohan Nicholls , The Netherlands | +------------------------------------------------------------+ -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]