Well, whatever it turns out to be, I can tell you this: it needs to be cost-effective. Access to orbit needs to become as routine and cheap as access to
another continent (relatively speaking, of course). Whether it's through spacevators, linear catapults, Rutan's rubber-rocket, or Factor X, the only
way it'll be a viable solution is if it is worth the expense on every trip.
We live at the bottom of a deep pit, and to do anything interesting we have to climb out. Right now we're doing that by shoving unstable chemicals up our
asses and lighting them on fire, hoping we make it to to the top in one piece AND can come back down again.
We've got a cannon, but all we need is a fucking ladder. Metaphorically speaking.
Besides the space elevator concept (which I quite like, assuming we can get materials science advanced past the theory stage), I've heard interesting ideas
about multi-stage platforms -- essentially, large, permanent gasbag-lift structures that act as waypoints. Take an ordinary plane to one, ride a scramjet to
the next, and the third lets you lift into orbit on a rocket (which, at that altitude, would be relatively cheap).
But that's probably even less likely than a spacevator, unfortunately. Hella cool, but safety concerns have so far ruled out any permanently-floating
structures and I don't see this being any different.
--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs
another continent (relatively speaking, of course). Whether it's through spacevators, linear catapults, Rutan's rubber-rocket, or Factor X, the only
way it'll be a viable solution is if it is worth the expense on every trip.
We live at the bottom of a deep pit, and to do anything interesting we have to climb out. Right now we're doing that by shoving unstable chemicals up our
asses and lighting them on fire, hoping we make it to to the top in one piece AND can come back down again.
We've got a cannon, but all we need is a fucking ladder. Metaphorically speaking.
Besides the space elevator concept (which I quite like, assuming we can get materials science advanced past the theory stage), I've heard interesting ideas
about multi-stage platforms -- essentially, large, permanent gasbag-lift structures that act as waypoints. Take an ordinary plane to one, ride a scramjet to
the next, and the third lets you lift into orbit on a rocket (which, at that altitude, would be relatively cheap).
But that's probably even less likely than a spacevator, unfortunately. Hella cool, but safety concerns have so far ruled out any permanently-floating
structures and I don't see this being any different.
--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs