Comments on: Interview: Robert Zimmerman Responds http://www.sciscoop.com/2004-5-19-194039-012.html Scooping up science news and dropping it on your desk Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:03:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Joshua http://www.sciscoop.com/2004-5-19-194039-012.html/comment-page-1#comment-4342 Joshua Sat, 22 May 2004 13:28:27 +0000 http://localhost/~arielschwartz/wordpress/sciscoop/?p=807#comment-4342 Thanks for the response to my question Mr. Zimmerman. I just thought it would be pretty interesting just to see where you might go. Also, thanks for the link to the Cassini website. Truly marvelous stuff. Thanks again!! Thanks for the response to my question Mr. Zimmerman. I just thought it would be pretty interesting just to see where you might go. Also, thanks for the link to the Cassini website. Truly marvelous stuff. Thanks again!!

]]> By: jxliv7 http://www.sciscoop.com/2004-5-19-194039-012.html/comment-page-1#comment-4005 jxliv7 Fri, 21 May 2004 23:48:30 +0000 http://localhost/~arielschwartz/wordpress/sciscoop/?p=807#comment-4005 .<br>...to have been hosed a little. But, hey, me too.<br><br>I tend to think that Zimmerman is fixated on the traditional "noisy plume of flame rocketship" concept. But, if progress on nanotechnology keeps rolling like it is, we might see some equitorial strings stretching skyward sooner than anyone thinks.<br><br>I'm not real current on the <a href="http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology/space_elevator_020327-1.html">space elevator</a> concept, but it looks like with trips to 21,700 miles -- the geosynchronous orbit height -- would take 3 days (about 300+ miles per hour). I'm sure it starts out slow and speeds up, but does it just pop off the end of the cable into some orbit or is it wrestled into some other orbit by space tugs? I'm going to watching the developments over the next few years closely.<br><br>The other things I'm going to be watching are the nonconventional aspects of space travel. Will quantum physics point the way to making Star Trek style transporters? Are there ways to make anti-gravity plates? What next great scientific invention will propel vessels in space? Doesn't Zimmerman realize that some extraterrestrials could be among us (Elvis, Dennis Rodman, maybe Brittany Spears)?<br><br><a href="http://www.student.uib.no/~st01369/filarkiv/lyder/trumpattack.wav">jon</a> .
…to have been hosed a little. But, hey, me too.

I tend to think that Zimmerman is fixated on the traditional “noisy plume of flame rocketship” concept. But, if progress on nanotechnology keeps rolling like it is, we might see some equitorial strings stretching skyward sooner than anyone thinks.

I’m not real current on the space elevator concept, but it looks like with trips to 21,700 miles — the geosynchronous orbit height — would take 3 days (about 300+ miles per hour). I’m sure it starts out slow and speeds up, but does it just pop off the end of the cable into some orbit or is it wrestled into some other orbit by space tugs? I’m going to watching the developments over the next few years closely.

The other things I’m going to be watching are the nonconventional aspects of space travel. Will quantum physics point the way to making Star Trek style transporters? Are there ways to make anti-gravity plates? What next great scientific invention will propel vessels in space? Doesn’t Zimmerman realize that some extraterrestrials could be among us (Elvis, Dennis Rodman, maybe Brittany Spears)?

jon

]]> By: Drog http://www.sciscoop.com/2004-5-19-194039-012.html/comment-page-1#comment-3575 Drog Thu, 20 May 2004 20:07:18 +0000 http://localhost/~arielschwartz/wordpress/sciscoop/?p=807#comment-3575 I hadn't thought of that. Humans could definitely go up a space elevator, which would take days/weeks. But if you needed to get humans or cargo up rapidly, a rocket would be the only way. I would imagine though, that with careful planning, you would never need to go up fast unless it's an emergency. I hadn’t thought of that. Humans could definitely go up a space elevator, which would take days/weeks. But if you needed to get humans or cargo up rapidly, a rocket would be the only way. I would imagine though, that with careful planning, you would never need to go up fast unless it’s an emergency.

]]> By: buraianto http://www.sciscoop.com/2004-5-19-194039-012.html/comment-page-1#comment-3017 buraianto Thu, 20 May 2004 19:51:31 +0000 http://localhost/~arielschwartz/wordpress/sciscoop/?p=807#comment-3017 I think one strike against a space elevator (as far as having private companies build one) is that you can't transport humans in them. Well, maybe that's not correct, but people complain enough as it is about slow elevators. Private research on launch vehicles would be directly applicable towards privatly building an infrastructure for faster travel and taking humans to space. I think one strike against a space elevator (as far as having private companies build one) is that you can’t transport humans in them. Well, maybe that’s not correct, but people complain enough as it is about slow elevators. Private research on launch vehicles would be directly applicable towards privatly building an infrastructure for faster travel and taking humans to space.

]]> By: Drog http://www.sciscoop.com/2004-5-19-194039-012.html/comment-page-1#comment-2243 Drog Wed, 19 May 2004 21:16:43 +0000 http://localhost/~arielschwartz/wordpress/sciscoop/?p=807#comment-2243 I guess I was hoping for a response along the lines of, if they can build a space elevator that can get payloads into space as cheaply as they predict, then that will effectively end all research into new, cheap launch technologies. And all of the money currently being spent on launch technologies (or money that could be spent) would instead most likely be spent on the in-orbit construction of orbital colonies and heavy spacecraft for voyaging to Mars and elsewhere. And building another space elevator on the Moon would enable a mining colony to become much more feasible and profitable. Effectively, the construction of a space elevator would accelerate the human exporation and colonization of space by decades or more. I guess I was hoping for a response along the lines of, if they can build a space elevator that can get payloads into space as cheaply as they predict, then that will effectively end all research into new, cheap launch technologies. And all of the money currently being spent on launch technologies (or money that could be spent) would instead most likely be spent on the in-orbit construction of orbital colonies and heavy spacecraft for voyaging to Mars and elsewhere. And building another space elevator on the Moon would enable a mining colony to become much more feasible and profitable. Effectively, the construction of a space elevator would accelerate the human exporation and colonization of space by decades or more.

]]> By: Drog http://www.sciscoop.com/2004-5-19-194039-012.html/comment-page-1#comment-1191 Drog Wed, 19 May 2004 21:06:54 +0000 http://localhost/~arielschwartz/wordpress/sciscoop/?p=807#comment-1191 Well, here are my thoughts on the matter. I completely agree that private industry is the way to go for space exploration. And private industry will be interested in one thing--profit. Private companies may spend a lot of money trying to overcome the difficulties involved in sending humans on long voyages, say, to Mars for the sake of the exposure it gives them. But, in the end, if robotics and AI reach the point that automonous robots can travel to the distant asteroids, moons and planets, explore them, conduct quality scientific experiments, perhaps mine them, and in the distant future perhaps even begin to terraform them, then human exploration will be put on a backburner for quite awhile because it is cheaper, faster and safer to send robots than humans. So it's not a question of why should robots have all the fun? It's a question of which is more profitable. I think it would be sad if humans do not stand on the rim of Valles Marineris on Mars, but I fear that humans may just not play as big a role in exploring our solar system as we have always expected. Will human colonies in orbit or on the Moon be profitable? How? A fully (or near) automated mining facility on the Moon, however--that I can see being extremely profitable, especially if we could build a space elevator on the Moon and on Earth for cheap transportation of ore.<p> As for terraforming Mars, I don't think it will happen anytime soon either, but I think that it would eventually become a major driving force behind private enterprise venturing into space--spending money to make Mars habitable to humans is a long-term investment, but one that would pay off. We do not lack the ideas for making it possible. What we lack is the sheer manpower for it. Which is why I think it will be accomplished via armies of robots, working autonomously for generations. Well, here are my thoughts on the matter. I completely agree that private industry is the way to go for space exploration. And private industry will be interested in one thing–profit. Private companies may spend a lot of money trying to overcome the difficulties involved in sending humans on long voyages, say, to Mars for the sake of the exposure it gives them. But, in the end, if robotics and AI reach the point that automonous robots can travel to the distant asteroids, moons and planets, explore them, conduct quality scientific experiments, perhaps mine them, and in the distant future perhaps even begin to terraform them, then human exploration will be put on a backburner for quite awhile because it is cheaper, faster and safer to send robots than humans. So it’s not a question of why should robots have all the fun? It’s a question of which is more profitable. I think it would be sad if humans do not stand on the rim of Valles Marineris on Mars, but I fear that humans may just not play as big a role in exploring our solar system as we have always expected. Will human colonies in orbit or on the Moon be profitable? How? A fully (or near) automated mining facility on the Moon, however–that I can see being extremely profitable, especially if we could build a space elevator on the Moon and on Earth for cheap transportation of ore.

As for terraforming Mars, I don’t think it will happen anytime soon either, but I think that it would eventually become a major driving force behind private enterprise venturing into space–spending money to make Mars habitable to humans is a long-term investment, but one that would pay off. We do not lack the ideas for making it possible. What we lack is the sheer manpower for it. Which is why I think it will be accomplished via armies of robots, working autonomously for generations.

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