Boeing's "original" Space Gas Station

Hello, xiphius,

My answers to you were no way meant awfully and it seems that I misunderstood you.

Your issue is correct - but I am applying a wider view on it.

Why lift a new stage into space since there are alreday a few available there? And why not lift something else instead into space at the same costs that is NOT avilable there yet? The simple circumstance that there already a few stages available in space means that to use a cheap launches for other payloads has the larger benefit in comparison to launching an additional new stage - even under technological aspects.

An additional launch of a particular vehicle able to get to spent stages, dead satellites and so on would add another benefit because this particular vehicle would cleanse the orbits from huge space debris and would turn dead satellites into macine shops via cannibalizing or even by repairing them and using them elsewhere.

To extract propellants from the objects also might lead to the opportunity to refuel at least one object this way without having to launch propellant from Earth.

It would be advantageous to collect all the portions of propellant in one depot already while pondering about which stage to reuse first. The propellants would safely stored then and the objects they are taken from would be safer against destruction by explosion - in particular if the use cryogenics.

Your comparison is valid as such - as long as looking at it isolated. It simply changes when looking at relations to the environment(s), to other objects, to savings enabled by it.

This is said under the technological aspect but the evaluation already applies a view applied by Economics because possibilities, opportunities and alternatives are pondered about in relation to each other.



Dipl.-Volkswirt (bdvb) Augustin (Political Economist)

Hi all,

The Bigelow Inflatables seem like they could also be used to hold propellant and they are already in orbit. I think the LEO Propellant Station is the key because it gives us the possibility of getting our propellant off the Earth. This could reduce the cost of launching any system, assuming you could mine the LOX and Hydrogen for a lesser amount of money.

I seen this video on http://www.ted.com that got me that mentioned this very idea http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/141.

After watching that video I put a site together as a way to try to understand the issue http://www.lunarwire.com/. It is much more complex of an idea than I expected lol, but I'm pushing forward to understand it. Any and all comments are welcome.

Shackleton

Useful for space exploration.Supply Energetic Station on the Space Highway.The new space Oasis.

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There is an article under www.welt.de reporting that the ATV Jules Verne is the first western space vehicle that pumped fuel/oxidizer to another vehicle - the ISS. The amount was 810 kg.

This shows that fuelling and refuelling in space is not only well controlled today - it also mentions that the ISS might be another customer for a depot like that proposed by Boeing. A vehicle travelling between the two would be required - it might be an ATV kept in orbit (an idea to be discussed in another section).

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Dipl.-Volkswirt (bdvb) Augustin (Political Economist)