Tom Broz said: "Publish away. The rocket propulsion technology for "Big Dumb Boosters" has been in open literature for years."

Surely of all people Tom, you don't think there are no a new things under the sun in the propulsion field? What if I showed you (off the BBS, of course) that any unindustrialized area on the planet not covered by permafrost (and maybe even those areas with minor industrial input) could produce a rudimentary ICBM propulsion system using local resources and feedstocks with a minor impact on the local economy? And how about a control system for minimal expense based on Open designs _already_ flying in amateur vehicles?

Kind of changes the whole perspective, doesn't it? Almost every desert island could be capable of wreaking havoc on any point on the planet.

Don't get me wrong, my only goal is to get stable human ecosystems off the planet. Anything less is trivia, footnotes (or hyperlinks) for the future. I'm generally an optimistic, happy-go-lucky guy. But this has stuck in my craw and I can't seem to get it clear.

Previously, I had always assumed that anything lowering launch costs was a good thing. I've begun to refine this philosophy. Cheap mid-range performance systems are liable to be used for nefarious ends, without helping fulfill the Dream. (Please insert your comments here).

I had been working on the philosophy that low/medium performance propulsion systems achieving fractional orbital velocity would inspire others to push ever further outward.

Now, I'm not so sure. Fractional orbital velocity is a large percentage of the requirement to strike most anywhere on the planet. In today's age of biological agents, this is A Very Bad Thing.

The reason I bring my coniflict to this forum is that it is not a trivial concern. I have pondered it for several months. I am neither ignorant nor stupid, but have reached the limits of my present abilities.

After long consideration, it seems to me that large, cheap low/mid-performance propulsion systems are to be avoided, provided they don't achieve a substantial fraction of orbital velocity. Their only obvious function seems to be as training aides to the developers of future launch systems. Even that area is rife with risk, however.

As always, your input is greatly appreciated in this matter.

Ray Calkins
http://www.arocket.net