Space X and privatised space exploration.

[Fuzzy Necromancer]

Well, it seems like the key step in any industry-scale space exploration is space elevators. That's some real return-on-investment for yah.

Personally though I'm bummed that space is no longer safe from the grubby hands of capitalism and I don't trust Elon Musk any further than I can throw him by the genitals.

[Madner Kami]

Capitalism is perfectly fine, if not the best known concept, to actually get shit done. The trouble is in having an independent governmental body that reigns in the anti-social extreme ends of capitalist maxims. In Germany, we call that Social Free Market Economy. Worked and works pretty well for the most part.

[Fuzzy Necromancer]

...I could dispute that, but it would risk derailing the thread. >_>

[Admiral X]

Incidentally I did a final presentation on using carbon nanotubes for an application like a space elevator for a nanotechnology class. I have to say that while the technology is perhaps possible that the massive start-up cost would be very prohibative. While it is much cheaper to manufacture now than when they were first discovered/invented, and there are methods for doing so continuously (which would be needed to make the individual strands that would make up a cable), it is still very expensive ($0.10 /g for MWNT and $2 /g for SWNT). So I don't see anyone making any space elevators any time soon.

[Fixer]

I read that the other issue with Carbon Nanotubes was that manufacture needed to be perfect. A few misaligned atoms and the cable's tensile strength is drastically reduced. Since it's one massive continuous cable 36,000km long and any chain is only as strong as it's weakest link this presents a massive engineering problem. An elevator could be undone by a few flaws on the atomic scale.

Which means we need a quantum leap in nanotechnology. This might actually be pushed by consumer technology. Carbon nanotubes are being considered in new electronics as silicon reaches its theoretical limits. It's possible a reliable way to manufacture carbon nanotube processors might provide insights into the manufacture of an elevator cable.

[Admiral X]

There does seem to be a lot more interest in CNTs for their electrical and thermal conductivity at present.

[PerrySimm]

Well, privately financed Mars flybys are a thing now. At what point did we begin living in the future?

[TGLS]

I don't know how much you can call it privately financed if the only reasonable buyers are governments.

[Fixer]

Rejoice. For now there is a mannequin astronaut in a car with Space Oddity playing on the radio, a Don't Panic sign on the dashboard and a towel in the glove compartment, driving to mars.

Outside of that the engineering is quite impressive. The Falcon 9 heavy with recoverable components means a launch price a quarter of its nearest competitor.

Optimistically, this might start to kick start a new space race as rival companies compete.

Edit: And as if on cue: http://www.businessinsider.com/falcon-h ... ?r=US&IR=T

[phantom000]

Rejoice. For now there is a mannequin astronaut in a car with Space Oddity playing on the radio, a Don't Panic sign on the dashboard and a towel in the glove compartment, driving to mars.

Outside of that the engineering is quite impressive. The Falcon 9 heavy with recoverable components means a launch price a quarter of its nearest competitor.

Optimistically, this might start to kick start a new space race as rival companies compete.

Edit: And as if on cue: http://www.businessinsider.com/falcon-h ... ?r=US&IR=T

What worries me is that companies will be tripping over each other. Like satellites crashing into each other because they were launched by different companies that did not bother to check the orbits. Or a space probe doing something that completely screws up another space probe from a different company.