From: vince@offshore.ai (Vincent Cate) Newsgroups: sci.space.history,sci.space.policy Subject: Re: $5M Moon Rock Stolen From Malta Museum References: <373a0bc9.0405211458.bde154a@posting.google.com> <1ywsc.624$ZM1.488@bignews6.bellsouth.net> <9186edb5.0405250856.eeee6b9@posting.google.com> <9186edb5.0405260624.b0faebd@posting.google.com> <4d6b07f3.0405261021.5663547f@posting.google.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: 207.42.133.252 Message-ID: <9186edb5.0405270445.7b321552@posting.google.com> terry@csmgdesign.com (Terry Goodrich) wrote in message news:<4d6b07f3.0405261021.5663547f@posting.google.com>... > Please don't loose track that we are trying to just get 20 kilo or so > of moon rocks to sell to collectors, not mine the moon. While I can > see the value of developing tethers and ion drives for a long term > project (I have a lot of interest in ion and vasmir drives), I don't > believe we have a budjet for any heavy duty R&D ($400~500 million). You might only want 20 kg, but some of us want more. I think people would buy much more than 20 kg of moon rocks at a price that permits a good profit if you use tethers. If you could get more than 20 kg of diamonds, you would not want to? Ion drives are standard options on GEO sats these days (and I expect most use some kind of electric propulsion for station keeping). I don't think it would cost $400 to $500 mil, but it is clearly hard to say. To me it seems much easier to justify an investment if you end up with a low ongoing cost and 100 kg a month than a deal with a onetime payback of 20 kg. -- 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