Lowering Costs on the Earth-to-Orbit Run, Preparing for Incoming Asteroids
Getting scared silly by the latest doomsday prediction is silly. So is ignoring real threats. (Copyright M. Ahmetvaleev, via NASA News, used w/o permission.) The Chelyabinsk meteor didn't kill anyone. Only 1,100 or so folks needed medical treatment: for injuries ranging from cuts and bruises to a broken spine. Next time, we may not get off so lightly. Now is a very good time to start getting ready for an incoming asteroid.... ...Looking Ahead (Reaction Engines Limited/Terra Novus, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.) (Reaction Engines Limited's Skylon spaceplane.) Apart from Space Shuttle fleet, now out of service, and recoverable capsules like Space-X's Dragon, launch vehicles are still a single-use technology. That makes getting into space very expensive. A decade from now, we'll probably see shipping rates go down: dramatically, I suspect. Reaction Engines Limited's Skylon is scheduled for a test flight to the International Space Stati