From: vince@offshore.ai (Vincent Cate)
Newsgroups: sci.space.tech
Subject: With $1 bil could you make low cost to LEO?
NNTP-Posting-Host: 207.42.133.230
Message-ID: <9186edb5.0301080934.4d47f3c1@posting.google.com>

What do you think is the most promising way to get low cost to LEO? 
Assume you have exactly $1 billion dollars.  If development ends up
taking more than $1 bil, you fail.  The only way to get more money is
by lifting payloads.  What type of technology would you try to make
work?  How little would direct costs be per lb to LEO?  How sure are
you that it could be make to work for under $1 bil?

I like the idea of a small air-launched reusable rocket to get to an
orbiting spinning tether.  I am 95% sure this could be developed for
less than $1 billion and have a costs to the operator of less than
$20/lb to orbit (not counting the $1 bil capital costs).  What you
could charge customers is another question. I think it is something
that could really be developed and would really work. See
http://spacetethers.com/ for more details.  If you think my estimates
are off please let me know.

Thanks,

  -- Vince

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Vincent Cate                           Offshore Information Services
 vince@offshore.ai                      http://offshore.ai/
 Anguilla, East Caribbean               http://offshore.ai/vince
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