From: Vincent Cate (vince@offshore.ai) Subject: Re: Space elevator (was The Single Biggest ...) Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle Date: 2003-02-13 21:36:00 PST Robert Munck wrote in message news:... > Cost estimates are in the $20 billion range and schedule estimates > around 15 years from now. It will be able to lift 12,000 kg payloads > to GEO every 4 days for about $100/kg. A spinning tether can grab a payload and then toss it like 10 minutes later. So we can get a payload every orbit (more if more launch sites) which is like every 90 minutes. This is 16 times per day or 64 times as often as your 1 time every 4 days. The spinning tether probably costs less than $1 billion. So it seems like it is 20*64 or 1,280 times better. This does not even count the fact that we use materials that really exist while the geo-stationary uses materials that do not exist. Why not like spinning tethers better? -- Vince ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Vincent Cate Space Tether Enthusiast vince@offshore.ai http://spacetethers.com/ Anguilla, East Caribbean http://offshore.ai/vince ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You have to take life as it happens, but you should try to make it happen the way you want to take it. - German Proverb