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Published byAlbert Honeywell Modified over 10 years ago
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A Comprehensive Approach to Carbon and Energy Problems (Or Making the Rocket Equation Work for Us ) H. Keith Henson, Founder L5 Society
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$ per kg
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Design to cost goals power Sat solution: Raise millions of tons a year to GEO at a cost of less than $100/kg Space based solar power for a 1-2 cents a kWh, synthetic fuels made from that power for $1 a gallon (easy) Excess energy (300TW-years) to put carbon back in the ground if we need to Danger of storing 470 cubic km of CO 2 We know how to make synthetic oil
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http://www.ilr.tu-berlin.de/koelle/Neptun/NEP2015.pdf
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290 t booster, 40t laser stage, 14.5 t payload to GEO 1.1 g, miles vertical axis, NM horizontal
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Geometry/Geography GTO injection about 2600 NM down range Needs to be on Equator Best 5000km water to east Good choices for US, EU
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Location GPS of our private airport: S. 00º 06’ W. 049TH 35'
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Lasers 45 deg to the West
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$40 billion for the lasers $60 billion for the rockets Long build up time to get the lasers installed and focusing mirrors in place, limited bootstrapping possible (does meet <$100/kg) Not impossible, but not compelling Can we improve on the ISP of the first stage and reduce front end cost? Yes!
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Reaction Engines SABRE “peaking at about 2800 seconds within the atmosphere”
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Skylon and Lasers Takes off from runway, 12 t to LEO
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Laser stage 12 t Mass ratio 2 6 t propellant, 6 t payload LEO to GEO 4.1 km/sec Modest ISP of 600 6MW of laser, $60 million takes 24 hrs LEO-GEO First mirror is a problem
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Eventually (after much buildup) 50 t laser stage, 25 t payload to GEO Skylon sub orbital, contributes 4-5 km/sec delta V 8 GW laser (8 years @ a GW/ year) contributes 9-10 km/sec
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After 8 years, a Skylon flight every 15 minutes 96 flts/day, 60-100 rockets 800,000 t/year to GEO Growth with more laser Skylon life up to 500 flights Fleet size at 1.5 flights/day Other sub orbitals work too
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2 cents per kWh
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Cost/kg to GEO Initial figured at twice the per flight depreciation of a $450 M vehicle and 6 t to GEO ~$750/kg Mature figured at twice the per flight depreciation of a $292 M vehicle and 25 t to GEO ~$46/kg Design to cost goal met <$100/kg
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Invar
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The Skylon to LEO or sub orbital and laser to GEO concept is less two weeks old. So please nitpick the physics and economics hkhenson@rogers.com www.htyp.org/dtc
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