Yup! The Saturn V cost $5k per kg to LEO. Best case, SpaceX has a ~2x savings over the tech we had in the 1960s. The Soyuz 2.1a is competitively priced and it's still launching, though we can't really compare since we…
The latter, of course. Launch prices have been fairly consistent for about 50 years. Promising a sudden 20x cost reduction over SpaceX's already exaggerated figures without any real innovation is ludicrous.
>So far I've seen them achieve everything they set out to achieve. They built competitive rockets. That's a big deal and I don't wish to diminish that. They promised magic 99% cost savings and are nowhere close.
I used to be confused by SpaceX marketing. Why do they talk about 90%+ cost reduction per KG to LEO? Maybe the general public will fall for it, but the general public doesn't often launch satellites. The actual experts…
I guarantee you the tank is yuge compared to what you'd find in a normal car. All airplanes have big tanks.
Commercial aircraft are the safest mode of transportation. Small aircraft, on the other hand, are deathtraps.
The world records for efficiency are here: https://www.fai.org/records?f%5B0%5D=field_type_of_record%3A... The world record for the 1000-1750kg weight class is about 16 miles per gallon. That is burning jet fuel rather…
This very topic has, unsurprisingly, been the subject of debate for a long time. You might want to read this: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/repugnant-conclusion >no societal problems are solved by adding more…
I was talking about fuel consumption. Most small aircraft run on normal gasoline, but they usually get the equivalent of 10-15 mpg. The Cessna 172, for instance, gets the equivalent of 13 miles per gallon. This vehicle…
>It is considered a potential solution to the strain on existing transport infrastructures. I'm pretty sure the solution to traffic is not more cars. Getting a pilot's license costs some $20,000. Fuel costs for small…
A lot of people, even around here, are bored of obviously money-losing startups and cryptocurrencies. What is there to say?
Terrible article. It's been decades since anyone has taken Malthusianism -- the naïve version discussed in this article -- seriously. It was never the scientific consensus that we would see mass starvation from…
The author clearly thinks they have something important to say, but I can't figure out of what it is. This story reads like it's name-dropping hot-button issues without actually dealing with any of them. Obviously a…
Yup! The Saturn V cost $5k per kg to LEO. Best case, SpaceX has a ~2x savings over the tech we had in the 1960s. The Soyuz 2.1a is competitively priced and it's still launching, though we can't really compare since we…
The latter, of course. Launch prices have been fairly consistent for about 50 years. Promising a sudden 20x cost reduction over SpaceX's already exaggerated figures without any real innovation is ludicrous.
>So far I've seen them achieve everything they set out to achieve. They built competitive rockets. That's a big deal and I don't wish to diminish that. They promised magic 99% cost savings and are nowhere close.
I used to be confused by SpaceX marketing. Why do they talk about 90%+ cost reduction per KG to LEO? Maybe the general public will fall for it, but the general public doesn't often launch satellites. The actual experts…
I guarantee you the tank is yuge compared to what you'd find in a normal car. All airplanes have big tanks.
Commercial aircraft are the safest mode of transportation. Small aircraft, on the other hand, are deathtraps.
The world records for efficiency are here: https://www.fai.org/records?f%5B0%5D=field_type_of_record%3A... The world record for the 1000-1750kg weight class is about 16 miles per gallon. That is burning jet fuel rather…
This very topic has, unsurprisingly, been the subject of debate for a long time. You might want to read this: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/repugnant-conclusion >no societal problems are solved by adding more…
I was talking about fuel consumption. Most small aircraft run on normal gasoline, but they usually get the equivalent of 10-15 mpg. The Cessna 172, for instance, gets the equivalent of 13 miles per gallon. This vehicle…
>It is considered a potential solution to the strain on existing transport infrastructures. I'm pretty sure the solution to traffic is not more cars. Getting a pilot's license costs some $20,000. Fuel costs for small…
A lot of people, even around here, are bored of obviously money-losing startups and cryptocurrencies. What is there to say?
Terrible article. It's been decades since anyone has taken Malthusianism -- the naïve version discussed in this article -- seriously. It was never the scientific consensus that we would see mass starvation from…
The author clearly thinks they have something important to say, but I can't figure out of what it is. This story reads like it's name-dropping hot-button issues without actually dealing with any of them. Obviously a…