
Space Stasis (2011) - maverick_iceman
http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2011/02/space_stasis.html
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scrumper
That was a very illuminating article, thanks for posting. It was also nicely
written:

 _" Before dismissing the above story as an aberration, consider that the
modern petroleum industry is a direct outgrowth of the practice of going out
in wooden, wind-driven ships to hunt sperm whales with hand-hurled spears and
then boiling their heads to make lamp fuel."_

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evilduck
Note the article's author.

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scrumper
Aha! Well that certainly explains the quality. I missed the byline on first
read.

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tbabb
What are these magical alternative routes to space the author speaks of?
Outside of the atmosphere, the only way to propel yourself is Newton's laws,
and that implies a rocket.

In the context of Spacex's more recent successes in innovation, this reads a
bit like those "computers will never be smaller than a gymnasium" thinkpieces.

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parenthephobia
The _most_ magical is the space elevator.

Mundanely speaking, launching from high-altitude planes or balloons, and using
space planes, could save a lot of fuel, as well as allowing for a wider
selection of launch sites and, as a consequence, wider launch windows and the
ability to change where one launches from at short notice, all of which could
help reduce launch costs.

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krg
Previous discussion:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2172398](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2172398)

