Re: Why is space flight so expensive?
- From: mike_l_rossREMOVE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 23 Aug 2008 11:18:01 -0500
Alan Erskine wrote:
"Winston Smith" <wintstonsmith@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:g8mves$9np$1@xxxxxxxxxxx
The last I heard, it costs over $10,000 per pound to send people and
cargo into low Earth orbit.
Why is it so expensive?
What would it take to bring the price down to $100 per pound, or less? Do
we have the technology to do it today?
What amazes me is that it _still_ costs 10k bucks to get into orbit -
that's
the same price since the '70's. Taking inflation into account, it should
be
triple that. I think someone must have a second set of accounting books
hidden away somewhere...
The existing launch services are largely funded by governments. Government
contractors have a vested interest in keeping those costs high. Government
launch management entities have a vested interest in keeping their budgets
large, and their empires growing. The capitalist idea of competition
reducing costs doesn't apply, egos and complacency rule the day. Until
some incredible event occurs, like an outsider independently demonstrating
lower costs to orbit despite the government's attempts to stymie them,
forcing the government to accept that they've been knowingly fleeced by
LockMart et al., the situation will remain the same.
The whole scene has made my cynicism grow by leaps and bounds.
Mike Ross
.
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- From: Winston Smith
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- From: Alan Erskine
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