Into Space It all about money! The final frontier (space) depends on the cost of getting off our planet. Now we have seen the SpaceX (Elon Musk) capsule doing its last test flight (September) and now it is into operation. Three astronauts got to the ISS and SpaceX has a contract for a total of six flights this year. There are other companies looking at the re-usable option, but it is all based on a massive rocket blasting into space. The big question is: are there other technologies which will offer the same or lower cost, but not based on a traditional rocket? We need to look at whether it is a manned flight or a cargo delivery to ISS (or any other space station). Manned flights must be more secure and less stressful (G-forces!) whereas a cargo flight is not concerned about G-forces and so on. The concept of Single-stage to orbit (SSTO) might be the concept that will further reduce costs. However, the requirement is that the speed of anything
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