The New Space conference has been in progress all weekend and runs through tonight. Some idea of how the world has changed is that a bunch of free-market entrepreneurs are welcome at NASA Ames. This is partly because so many of the high positions in NASA are now taken by people who (mostly) agree with us, or at the very least see no other way NASA can continue to function. They need cheap access to space too and the ‘big boys’ are not delivering it.
My associate in space ventures, Rand Simberg, is there live blogging the event so please go take a look at what he has to say.
Dale, part of the problem is fuel. Maybe you could mention the squirrel-engine idea of mine, where we convert plasma (protons and electrons) into hydrogen by collecting it and then slowing it until it is cool enough that the protons and electrons join up as hydrogen atoms. If a station in Earth-orbit was making fuel from plasma and solar energy, and selling it, spaceships wouldn’t need to carry as much fuel up with them. A viable industry might be had from helping others go further!
Back in NY.
The saturday night party was awesome.
Great conference.