It is a tragedy that we have
let over 20 years pass without recognizing the singular importance of his
invention and begun earnest efforts to bring Solar Power Satellites (SPS)
into reality. If we hurry, there might yet be time to, quite literally,
save the world.
Our first need is for vastly
improved access to space. First, by making our systems far more reliable
than at present and second, far less expensive. Fortunately, the solution
to these two needs is a common one: Reusable Space Launch Vehicles. The
full benefits will not occur overnight, nor will it they come easy, but
we must begin.
We must begin on the sensible
two-stage-to-orbit path, using safe kerosene fuel for the first stage.
As we build the flight rate, the very low costs per unit mass in orbit
which are required for a viable SPS, that I predicted many years ago could
be achieved, will be realized, simply through the economies of scale, the
drive of competition and the power of evolution.
Hubert P. Davis
Vice President, Engineering,
Starcraft Boosters, Inc.
To the Editor:
I think consideration should
be given to a multi-functional satellite that addresses energy collection
from space. Using a satellite to collect solar energy and beaming it back
to earth using microwave technology has been considered. If, in addition,
the technology invoked for the energy collection satellite could additionally
provide for narrow beam focus in use for asteroid diversion and Earth-bound
missile defense, a multi-discipline approach could be taken to solve these
problems. Other sciences could be investigated such as microwave radiometry.
Sean R. Smith
A reader responds to
Phil Plait's opinion
piece "Hollywood Does the Universe Wrong."
To the Editor:
Bravo, Phil!
Death to misinformation!
The most arresting creativity is intelligent. How flipping hard is it for
entertainment to make sense? Can a half-alert adult really find any redeeming
value in a production with all its fiction hanging out? Ever heard
of believability, people? You don't need much of an education to recognize
a really bad fake. It's bloody insulting.
God bless you and your Bad
Astronomy site.
Jennifer Trudeau, Detroit
A reader discusses priorities
in space exploration. Click here
for a collection of letters responding to Robert Park's opinion piece
"Astronauts Are Going Nowhere Fast."
To the Editor:
I feel that without human
exploration, there is no need to study space at all. If I don't have a
chance to go up some day, then what's the point? I'm hoping that new technologies
will make it possible for anyone to go up in space, to work or play.
However, I think that we
should keep sending more unmanned probes like NEAR, Galileo and even big
ones like Cassini. My dream is to see a NEAR-type mission and maybe even
a lander to Ceres, our largest asteroid. We have no clear pictures of Ceres.
Yet it is the best place for a deep space outpost for humans, after Mars.
As far as I know, there are no plans to explore our best asteroid. Ceres
is the size of Texas. What a cool place for a radio and a big optical telescope.
What a cool place to live.
Thank you all for SPACE.com.
Martin Ulstein, Issaquah,
Washington
And finally, for now,
a letter about Mars exploration:
To the Editor:
As 20-something year olds,
my generation grew up with great hopes for the space program. The Challenger
disaster and the end of the Cold War affected the public's, and our, priorities
and appetite for space exploration. But now we find ourselves at an historic
inflection point, where our economy is stronger than it has ever been before,
and we face no great enemy. We could either retreat into ourselves in self-congratulation
and live a slow but steady decline, or we can use our good fortune to strive
for something truly great for all of humanity, and for our children. That
is why I believe we should accept the challenge of sending a manned mission
to Mars.
A group of fellow students
here at Harvard, and at MIT, have assembled a grass-roots petition that
we want to send to our leaders to show that we, the public, do support
a manned mission to Mars. We hope to collect 1,000,000 signatures on http://thinkmars.net/petition.
We can get to Mars, if only we so choose.
Jesse C. Hsu, MBA 2001,
Harvard Business School
SPACE.com welcomes
Letters
to the Editor. Letters intended for publication should be under 250 words,
and may be edited for style and clarity.
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