"For the first time in our 4-billion-year history,...
... we have the opportunity to extend life beyond Earth, but the economic challenges are substantial," Musk said. "The reason I founded SpaceX was to try in a little way to make that happen.". Just got to have that IBM "SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA" playing those E-C-O-N-O-M-I-C__T-U-N-E-S (ERR) AT WARP SPEED!
...but it's hardly making real use of space. Not until we really start taking advantage by doing R&D and manufacturing of real products will we be getting anywhere.
If America plays it's cards right, it could take advantage of our experience in space, and our financial resources, to get the first factories and R&D facilities into orbit, to find the best ways to utilize microgravity, near-perfect vacuum and near-zero temperatures (3 things difficult or impossible to create on the ground) to create new and superior products, and regain some of our technological and manufacturing edge.
"If America plays it's cards right, it could take advantage of our experience in space, and our financial resources...." Given all that is now known about "The CONCORDE" - Why not create "R&D facilities" to come up with the "SILENT" CONCORDE that is certain to create "economic" waves around the world with all those new billionaires around the world. With less time in the air... America and those affluent space tourists and operators might just see a less crowded sky.
You did miss one big, fat moneymaker, though - energy.
If we can get up solar farms in orbit, then the paybacks are relatively fast. The downside is the amount of material required to get one together, though a lot of it could be collected and built elsewhere (like, say, the Moon) where we don't have a big fat gravity well to worry so much about.
ACCORDING TO NOSTRADAMUS { WHEN THE END OF THE WORLD IS NEAR DROUGHT'S AND NATURAL DISASTER'S WILL OCCUR}.SO IF SUMMER WAS HOT,HOT,HOT,WILL WINTER BE COLD,COLD,COLD,WELL STAY TUNED TO YOUR LOCAL WEATHER CHANNEL'S FOR YOUR WEATHER.ASK NASA FOR HEATING BILL'S,YOU MIGHT NEED IT,AJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJA.SAYONARA.ADIO'S AMIGO'S.FROM HERE TO ETERNITY.KEEP WARM,OR COOL.UNTILL MY D-DAY.BOOM.
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If America plays it's cards right, it could take advantage of our experience in space, and our financial resources, to get the first factories and R&D facilities into orbit, to find the best ways to utilize microgravity, near-perfect vacuum and near-zero temperatures (3 things difficult or impossible to create on the ground) to create new and superior products, and regain some of our technological and manufacturing edge.
If we can get up solar farms in orbit, then the paybacks are relatively fast. The downside is the amount of material required to get one together, though a lot of it could be collected and built elsewhere (like, say, the Moon) where we don't have a big fat gravity well to worry so much about.
/P
Here is one just published that does.
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://nlspropulsion.net" target="_newWindow">http://nlspropulsion.net</a>
Space mining and colonization is man's destiny !