US military constructs Space Fountain circa 1980's

So WI in addition to the internet the US miliary also constructs a space elevator for use in its Star Wars program? Could it just like the internet lead to major economic advances? Could the dotcom billionaires also be joined by outerspace billionaires on the forbes list of the worlds wealthiest individuals.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_fountain
 
So WI in addition to the internet the US miliary also constructs a space elevator for use in its Star Wars program? Could it just like the internet lead to major economic advances? Could the dotcom billionaires also be joined by outerspace billionaires on the forbes list of the worlds wealthiest individuals.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_fountain

Unless there is a major technological breakthrough around '79-80, I don't see this happening. If it did, then the space industry now would be booming, with advanced gov. and private projects in orbit and possibly manned interplanetary space missions happening now.
 
Unless there is a major technological breakthrough around '79-80, I don't see this happening. If it did, then the space industry now would be booming, with advanced gov. and private projects in orbit and possibly manned interplanetary space missions happening now.

From the article it seems that technology really isn't the problem. I'd say the reason why this approach hasn't been used is because Boeing, Lockheed Martin etc etc prefer the chemical rocket as they're relatively cheap to build but expensive to launch(good profit margin). They're also the main builders of satellites so there is kind of a conflict of interest between their business models.
 
Hmm. The article does state that super-materials (i.e. carbon nano-tubes, which would be needed for a space elevator) are not required. However the article also doesn't state the cost.

Anything up to 10 billion or so is probably acceptable (although NASA would be gutted to pay for it). Much beyond that and I don't see it.

You'd also need a whole bunch of nuclear power stations (or coal or gas, but I doubt either) to power the thing which are hard to build in the US of the 1980s.
 
Honestly I think the military would be willing to pay upwards of $20 billion(over a period of time of course)for which in effect would amount to the US having complete dominance of outerspace. The kicker would be the nuclear power, the USN has no trouble using it in its warships but on land things of course are different. Though this being a closed military(rather than civilian)project at least in the beginning might make it a little easier for Congress to swallow.
 
Honestly I think the military would be willing to pay upwards of $20 billion(over a period of time of course)for which in effect would amount to the US having complete dominance of outerspace. The kicker would be the nuclear power, the USN has no trouble using it in its warships but on land things of course are different. Though this being a closed military(rather than civilian)project at least in the beginning might make it a little easier for Congress to swallow.

You're quite right. I wasn't thinking about the military.

However the Air Force can't afford it on their lonesome, and the military budget in the US is set at 1/3 splits for each of the services, regardless of actual need[1].

Would we see a new Space Command or would the USN and USAF run a joint operation?


[1] In practice the USN and USAF get 32-34% each, the Army gets the rest. But the ratio changes very little.
 
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Like SDI?

POD, Reagan decides against missile defense, instead goes with Strategic Defense and Industry Initative.

With the resources planned for SDI, the Space Fountain because a possiblity.

The goal of cheap economic access to space for economic and military purposes could motivate high budgets, especially with Reagan pushing them. After all he is the guy that sold SDI, despite all the naysaying.
 
This makes more sense than some of the mega-engineering projects the Brezhnev-era USSR actually did consider.

I can actually imagine someone in the appropriate military uniform delivering Montgomery Burns' epic speech from that Simpsons' episode: "Gentlemen, from time immemorial man has dreamed of blotting out the sun..." or some such.

Unfortunately, the Soviets build a Dyson Sphere to power their Death Star. Damn.
 
Like SDI?

POD, Reagan decides against missile defense, instead goes with Strategic Defense and Industry Initative.

With the resources planned for SDI, the Space Fountain because a possiblity.

The goal of cheap economic access to space for economic and military purposes could motivate high budgets, especially with Reagan pushing them. After all he is the guy that sold SDI, despite all the naysaying.

Great post! Have Reagen realize the greater purpose of developing outerspace industry as opposed to just outerspace weapons.
 
The Apollo program cost $100 Billion in 1960s dollars. We just spent a Trillion dollars to bailout a bunch of incompedent, greedy, bankers by the politicians who made the whole mess possible. It just goes to show that if we want it bad enough, we'll build it, no matter what it costs. The technology needed to build a space elevator still isn't proven, and a space fountain may not be fesable. However, if it is, then it may have been possible in the 1980s. Although, a space elevator needs to be built on the equator and I'm not sure about any place there that would allow the U.S. to build a massive project like that on their soil. A space fountain, on the other hand, can be built anywhere. Maybe it would work, but only with a huge amount of money and effort, perhaps too much.
 
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