Comments on: Space-based solar power is not a thing

By: Jim

Jim — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 22:56:57 +0000

How can a critical word be said about something perfect?

By: Shadeburst

Shadeburst — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 05:14:43 +0000

Altitude Zero, if you go to Handmer’s page he is a major Muskrat. He correctly identifies SLS as a POS, then fails to say a single critical word about Starship.

By: Jim

Jim — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 06:43:17 +0000

How about space-based nuclear reactors?

By: Altitude Zero

Altitude Zero — Fri, 25 Nov 2022 23:01:54 +0000

Yes, Caleb, and that’s a best case scenario. This guy reminds me of a guy in 1902 telling us why heavier than air flight is impossible, or in 1958 explaining why we will never reach the Moon. The late Jerry Pournelle thought that space-based solar had potential, and he was at least as smart as this guy. Also, it seems that Handmer has a “Everything Elon Musk believes is wrong” agenda. He may be right, but it pays to keep his predispositions in mind.

By: Caleb Camargo

Caleb Camargo — Fri, 25 Nov 2022 19:08:19 +0000

Handmer is probably right, but my impression reading these posts so far is that he is playing fast and loose with his numbers to get to his desired conclusions, and the more I read, the less I trust him. Whether it’s using NYC (?!) subway tunneling (instead of cut-and-scrape…?) numbers for underground construction on Mars, or lopping numbers in half he doesn’t like, or implying that space power would involve the same number of panels necessary on earth…

By: Senile Old Coot

Senile Old Coot — Fri, 25 Nov 2022 16:04:52 +0000

1. Time passes. Memory fades. When the space shuttle program was initially funded the projections were that it would reduce the cost of lifting payloads into orbit tenfold. Was it from 5,000 dollars a pound down to 500 (with even greater savings later on)? Something like that. Mostly BS? Mainly to shift NASA dollars over to companies that were friends of Nixon? Every trip was putting the weight of the shuttle into orbit just to bring it back down again. I seem to remember much of the boosterism for solar powered space satellites beaming microwaves to Earth was premised on the greatly reduced orbital costs. Maybe someone can confirm my memory here about some of the background context for the popularity of the SPSS idea. 2. Why is this an important topic? Similar techno-utopian hype vibe as much that is going on today when what is really going on is mostly shifting government funding to different corporations for not very plausible technologies. Views may differ but just tossing some out there, transhumanism biotech, various global warming countermeasures, SBF crypto meltdown and CBDC movement, etc.