The dream of space

What a fucking mess. Don't hold your breath for NASA to take us there...

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Vision_For_Space_Exploration_Facing_Critical_Juncture.html

and then this

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/NASA_Says_False_Documents_Behind_Recent_Lunar_Study_Article.html


and this

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/ISS_Golf_Shot_Awaits_NASA_Approval.html


so what about the russians?

http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Russian_Says_Moon_And_Mars_Space_Targets_By_2030.html

and the chinese?

http://www.spacedaily.com/2006/060415113031.zildaptb.html

Well, they're pretty much shutting up...



Conclusion:

The whole thing is in shambles. Only new materials technology such as nano-carbon is going to alter the picture in any significant way. The promise of new materials is that they're lighter and stronger at the same time, perhaps with novel new features such as cosmic ray shielding, semi-conductivity which allow circuits to be embedded in them and so on.

The problem with all of these is that they're still experimental and a long way from a real finished toolable product.

http://www.physorg.com/news63291916.html

neat, but hardly something you'd build a spacecraft from...

http://www.physorg.com/news64081416.html

neater still, and, I guess, the future. An entire spacecraft built on a molecular level in one piece sounds like it.

Then again there's the space elevator...........

or...

time travel! Yoohoo!

http://www.physorg.com/news63371210.html

so I could travel into a future where all the technological hurdles have been overcome. :-)

b