Randall Clague wrote: > > On Sun, 09 Feb 2003 12:10:24 -0500, Alex Fraser <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > > > Do the problems come with the scale of the venture? Looking at NASA > >what can you learn about being big. This is what I had in mind. I think > >getting big will be a bigger challenge to ERPS than any technological > >hurdle. > > I think you're right. I also think it's something we don't need to > worry about at the moment.
And in the long term, it will quite likely (for us as distinct from NASA) be more of an issue of dealing with the technological hurdles involved in "going to orbit without getting big". (It has been said that the government lunar program as it actually happened was originally LBJ's idea - he suggested it to JFK, with the motive of bringing large amounts of new government business to Texas. The Shuttle program continued this tradition - on a national basis. Consider it as an experimental _upper_ bound... how many people _can_ you keep busy launching a vehicle to orbit?) The WW2-era "V2" IRBM could, as I understand it, be fired by a couple of operators from a truck... with modern electronic control systems, a small orbit-capable vehicle might not need much more. (Three guys, a truck, and a portable computer?) -dave w _______________________________________________ ERPS-list mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.erps.org/mailman/listinfo/erps-list
