Economic exploitation of space

[Neil]

Also, satellite launches don't exactly advance the technology of space travel.

[Josquius]

I dunno, the ESA at least keeps developing its rockets so they can launch satellites safer, cheaper, etc...

[Faeelin]

One - Yes, towards the end of the century perhaps. There are some pretty darn valuable asteroids out there.

I think you're underestimating the cost of space travel and asteroid exploitation, especially when the priority is going to be creature comforts.

Creature comforts for who? Fifty or one hundred years out, would we even need a manned crew on site? Surely we could just use robots for most of the work.

[Neil]

I dunno, the ESA at least keeps developing its rockets so they can launch satellites safer, cheaper, etc...

Yes,  but rocketry is only useful for certain things.  You can develop your rockets all you want, but rocketry is going to be a lot less useful than you would think is space travel.

[Neil]

One - Yes, towards the end of the century perhaps. There are some pretty darn valuable asteroids out there.

I think you're underestimating the cost of space travel and asteroid exploitation, especially when the priority is going to be creature comforts.

Creature comforts for who? Fifty or one hundred years out, would we even need a manned crew on site? Surely we could just use robots for most of the work.

Creature comforts for the people on Earth.  It's the cost of developing the technology and perfecting the technology that would make it impossible, because it's more important to bribe the electorate.

[Razgovory]

Now, I don't enjoy bursting Timmay balloons like Neil does, there are some very serious problems with space flight with our current technology.  It's not really very practical, and barely possible.  It amazes me that there aren't more disasters then there has been.  I like space exploration and respect the folks who do it.  You have to have real balls to strap yourself to large canister of highly volatile chemicals and set off a series of explosions under your ass.  And that's just on the way up.  Space is pretty hostile to human life.  Or in the words of famed astronaut Sullivan Carew, "Space is one cold motherfucker".

[Josquius]

I dunno, the ESA at least keeps developing its rockets so they can launch satellites safer, cheaper, etc...

Yes,  but rocketry is only useful for certain things.  You can develop your rockets all you want, but rocketry is going to be a lot less useful than you would think is space travel.

Huh?

[Crazy_Ivan80]

babysteps. The "keeping up with the joneses"-model will make sure that space-tourism gets cheaper. Much of the rest will flow from that.
the other bit will come from the fact that at some point someone will breach the treaties that keep space demilitarized.
All of it is inevitable.

problem is that it's taking them so goddamn long!

[Monoriu]

babysteps. The "keeping up with the joneses"-model will make sure that space-tourism gets cheaper. Much of the rest will flow from that.

Until the first accident, which I think is inevitable. 

[Ideologue]

I dunno, the ESA at least keeps developing its rockets so they can launch satellites safer, cheaper, etc...

Yes,  but rocketry is only useful for certain things.  You can develop your rockets all you want, but rocketry is going to be a lot less useful than you would think is space travel.

Huh?

I think Neil means that chemical rockets are lame.  If so, he would be correct.  Chemical rockets are of extremely limited utility for heavy lift or extrasolar (or even interplanetary) missions, and the pussies will never permit nuclear rockets; we missed our window.

[Ed Anger]

The future? Organic Superlube.

[Razgovory]

Organic Superlube? Oh, it's great stuff, great stuff. You really have to keep an eye on it, though. It'll try and slide away from you the first chance it gets.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

babysteps. The "keeping up with the joneses"-model will make sure that space-tourism gets cheaper. Much of the rest will flow from that.

Until the first accident, which I think is inevitable.

won't stop anything. It never does.

[Razgovory]

Second one will though.  See the US space shuttle.

[jimmy olsen]

One - Yes, towards the end of the century perhaps. There are some pretty darn valuable asteroids out there.

I think you're underestimating the cost of space travel and asteroid exploitation, especially when the priority is going to be creature comforts.

Exploiting the asteroids means more creature comforts.

Perhaps once it starts, but it would mean sacrificing them to get to the point where you can do that.

I don't see how.
Rich people invest in things, they don't just spend the money they have on more shiny things. Its what they do.

They invest in things that will show a return.  There's no return on space travel.

There are a lot of recent startups moving into the launch business as of late, and they're getting lots of investment. Space X especially has been very successful.