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There has to be some revenue stream beyond just satellite launches and government research. Right now there's only so many reasons to go to space and a lot of t

by rtkwe 6y ago

There has to be some revenue stream beyond just satellite launches and government research. Right now there's only so many reasons to go to space and a lot of those are pretty small markets or able to be served by one or very few provider(s) pretty well.

ChuckMcM 6y ago
Frankly, I expect the zero-g sex market to be a pretty big draw for the folks with more money than sense.
- pixl97 6y ago
  I can only guess that it would be much harder to accomplish than one would imagine. Definitely want a padded room so you dont bang your head, or other parts slamming into sharp objects.
  - ChuckMcM 6y ago
    I note that the Bigelow Aerospace semi-inflatable module[1] that is attached currently to the ISS has no windows and padded walls. [1] https://bigelowaerospace.com/pages/b330/ https://bigelowaerospace.com/pages/b330/
    - GordonS 6y ago
      Putting aside space-sex, I really like the idea of an inflatable module that can quickly (and presumably fairly cheaply) increase the space on a station.
- lmm 6y ago
  A few people will do it once or twice, sure. Doubt that's a sustainable market unless you can get the cost way down.
- edgyquant 6y ago
  Zero-g sex is extremely dangerous. There was an episode of the Universe about it.
NortySpock 6y ago
low attenuation fiber optic cables? https://madeinspace.us/capabilities-and-technology/fiber-optics/ https://madeinspace.us/capabilities-and-technology/fiber-opt... (similar to, but not the same as, zero attenuation fiber optic from the fictional book Artemis by Andy Weir) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_(novel) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_(novel)
- posix_me_less 6y ago
  Is the new book any good? I liked Martian.
  - BenjiWiebe 6y ago
    I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't compare it to The Martian.
  - NortySpock 6y ago
    I thought Artemis was decent. It ain't The Martian, but if you like the hard sci-fi of The Martian, Artemis is more of that (except with a touristy moon base).
- rtkwe 6y ago
  Maybe, but you'll need more than just one thing to really take off. Also terrestrial fiber seems plenty fast for most applications at the moment?
  - NortySpock 6y ago
    low attenuation means fewer repeaters needed on oceanic cables, reducing the cost of operating the fiber optic cable. "Using estimates for the theoretical loss limit of ZBLAN glass, a 2,000-km length of ZBLAN fiber could have the same optical loss as 10 km of silica fiber, which would be an extraordinary performance gain." https://upward.issnationallab.org/the-race-to-manufacture-zblan/ https://upward.issnationallab.org/the-race-to-manufacture-zb... "Fluoride fibers inherently provide naturally a much wider bandwidth than silica with up to 100x usable number of data channels, <2 petabytes per second of data with no amplification for 1,000km or more and no need to carry power for said amplification lines. By comparison, current undersea cables use one repeater for amplification every 100-150km, at a cost of ~$1M each." https://www.spiedigitallibrary.org/conference-proceedings-of-spie/11276/112760R/Breaking-the-silica-ceiling--ZBLAN-based-opportunities-for-photonics/10.1117/12.2542350.short?SSO=1 https://www.spiedigitallibrary.org/conference-proceedings-of...
godelski 6y ago
Sorry, what? The reason we have so many launch providers today is because space is extremely valuable. Even though you don't realize it there are hundreds of satellites above you head and you're connected to many of them. Telecommunicate (not just your phone), GPS, weather, etc. We wouldn't have the modern world without access to space. Things getting cheaper is causing a boom.
- rtkwe 6y ago
  I'm largely talking about setting up a space industry that includes human spaceflight independent of government spending which is what you need for it to really take off because unless it's specifically designed to be impossible to kill like the SLS other missions get killed and messed with as each new admin or congress decides it's an easy place to make a mark. There's a lot up there but it's still not that big and there's limited space for new arrivals. SpaceX largely exists because of the government contracts to launch to the ISS and for various NRO launches there's not enough public need for launches alone to sustain a rocket industry is what I mean. Especially for human launches, the only reason to have a human rated orbital capsule is to service the ISS.

by rtkwe 6y ago

ChuckMcM 6y ago

Frankly, I expect the zero-g sex market to be a pretty big draw for the folks with more money than sense.

pixl97 6y ago
I can only guess that it would be much harder to accomplish than one would imagine. Definitely want a padded room so you dont bang your head, or other parts slamming into sharp objects.
- ChuckMcM 6y ago
  I note that the Bigelow Aerospace semi-inflatable module[1] that is attached currently to the ISS has no windows and padded walls. [1] https://bigelowaerospace.com/pages/b330/ https://bigelowaerospace.com/pages/b330/
  - GordonS 6y ago
    Putting aside space-sex, I really like the idea of an inflatable module that can quickly (and presumably fairly cheaply) increase the space on a station.
lmm 6y ago
A few people will do it once or twice, sure. Doubt that's a sustainable market unless you can get the cost way down.
edgyquant 6y ago
Zero-g sex is extremely dangerous. There was an episode of the Universe about it.

NortySpock 6y ago

low attenuation fiber optic cables? https://madeinspace.us/capabilities-and-technology/fiber-optics/ https://madeinspace.us/capabilities-and-technology/fiber-opt... (similar to, but not the same as, zero attenuation fiber optic from the fictional book Artemis by Andy Weir) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_(novel) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_(novel)

posix_me_less 6y ago
Is the new book any good? I liked Martian.
- BenjiWiebe 6y ago
  I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't compare it to The Martian.
- NortySpock 6y ago
  I thought Artemis was decent. It ain't The Martian, but if you like the hard sci-fi of The Martian, Artemis is more of that (except with a touristy moon base).
rtkwe 6y ago
Maybe, but you'll need more than just one thing to really take off. Also terrestrial fiber seems plenty fast for most applications at the moment?
- NortySpock 6y ago
  low attenuation means fewer repeaters needed on oceanic cables, reducing the cost of operating the fiber optic cable. "Using estimates for the theoretical loss limit of ZBLAN glass, a 2,000-km length of ZBLAN fiber could have the same optical loss as 10 km of silica fiber, which would be an extraordinary performance gain." https://upward.issnationallab.org/the-race-to-manufacture-zblan/ https://upward.issnationallab.org/the-race-to-manufacture-zb... "Fluoride fibers inherently provide naturally a much wider bandwidth than silica with up to 100x usable number of data channels, <2 petabytes per second of data with no amplification for 1,000km or more and no need to carry power for said amplification lines. By comparison, current undersea cables use one repeater for amplification every 100-150km, at a cost of ~$1M each." https://www.spiedigitallibrary.org/conference-proceedings-of-spie/11276/112760R/Breaking-the-silica-ceiling--ZBLAN-based-opportunities-for-photonics/10.1117/12.2542350.short?SSO=1 https://www.spiedigitallibrary.org/conference-proceedings-of...

godelski 6y ago

Sorry, what? The reason we have so many launch providers today is because space is extremely valuable. Even though you don't realize it there are hundreds of satellites above you head and you're connected to many of them. Telecommunicate (not just your phone), GPS, weather, etc. We wouldn't have the modern world without access to space. Things getting cheaper is causing a boom.

rtkwe 6y ago
I'm largely talking about setting up a space industry that includes human spaceflight independent of government spending which is what you need for it to really take off because unless it's specifically designed to be impossible to kill like the SLS other missions get killed and messed with as each new admin or congress decides it's an easy place to make a mark. There's a lot up there but it's still not that big and there's limited space for new arrivals. SpaceX largely exists because of the government contracts to launch to the ISS and for various NRO launches there's not enough public need for launches alone to sustain a rocket industry is what I mean. Especially for human launches, the only reason to have a human rated orbital capsule is to service the ISS.