Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to My dustup with Nick/R.L. : comprehensive

I think you need to explore the financial model further
nick hoffman — (archived)

One of the main "complaints" of the cost of Shuttle flights is that the entire NASA support infrastructure costs are loaded onto them, as a cost Centre.

Why would a Lunar observatory be any different? Standard management practice is to load every possible overhead and associated cost to a cost centre where you can get cost recovery (through an NSF observing grant, for instance, or through sale of the products to whatever market might exist).

The total cost of any seperate structures, the servicing cost, the cost of the repairman's off-duty meals and R & R activities, the cost of the accountant on Earth who adds up the costs...

It wouldn't be cheap, is my angle. I don't mean to say that the cost would be prohibitive, in terms of the return, but it won't be cheap.

As for electrostatic dust precipitation, let's see that proven in practice - in a test-bed, of course, not actually on the Moon (yet). There are allo sorts of wrinkles here that we need to explore before confidently asserting that "it will fix the problem".

It *might* fix the problem, or reduce it significantly, or it might somehow let through a fraction of the particles that are really awkward to deal with, for some reason.

I don't know, and I doubt that anyone does, yet...

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