Planning A Space Flight? Sagan O'Neal & Crossfield
Carl Sagan and Gerald O'Neal and Sagan's Selling of the Vision of man in Space
This was on television back in the 1970s on PBS. Carl Sagan explaining the work of Gerald O'Neal. American physicist at the Institute for Advanced Studies, Princeton, who, in 1969, began to work out a strategy for the future expansion of the human race into space. Gerald O'Neal championed the idea of orbital settlements in several papers and his book The High Frontier. The use of mass drivers to throw 200 pound blocks of aluminum in to orbit around the Moon came from Gerald O'Neal. There they could be taken where they would make giant spheres to live in space. Carl Sagan had at one point talked about using a NERVA style nuclear engine there again your looking at something that would have to be very controlled use etc. (Do you have enough nerve for this one) This would more or less lead to traveling in large groups. This by that time was not legal by International Law.
He was a devotee and an advocate of broad international cooperation in space exploration and one of the founders (in 1980) and president (until his death) of the Planetary Society. He expressed the opinion that carrying life from Earth to other planets is a duty of mankind, and that the conquest and colonization by mankind of other planets and extraterrestrial space are essential to our survival.
"All civilizations," he wrote, "become either spacefaring or extinct."
His novel Contact (1985) was made into a successful film. Most societies that have existed and are not more have left to some where else on the planet. This means that leave after there has been much hardship. In one example the type of food they had all eaten could not feed them all. Those that had to eat other food (gains) had terriable tooth decay and died younger 30 to 40 compared to 80s. The whole structure of the society colapsed and they all had to move on.
Thank You Carl Sagan (1934-1996) and Gerald O'Neal (1927-1992)
What story will someone till after they have gone. What of what I say. You will meet yourself.
Scott Crossfield
Scott Crossfield put forward an idea that I will not hear of till 2001. Of using four small military missiles to boast a North American X-15 into orbit. Basically saying we could push the X-15 into orbit. This approach would not have worked without modifying the X-15 for one the oxygen would evaporate before the first stage was done burning with the design they used at the time. I include Scott Crossfield because this is an extra effort an included in his normal work. It is also important because the X-15 program was coming to an end and the space program had showed know need of their research. This attempt using "outdated" equipment to just make it into orbit is important. My plane is based on the research from the X-15.
Wernher von Braun
This is in it's own way so much like Wernher von Braun story. He was a member of the German Rocket Society in the 1920s when he was only 19 years of age. Wernher von Braun wanted to go into space as a boy. The whole world will get thrust in to war and Wernher Von Braun and sell a advanced rocket that will not be ready till near wars end. It still required that it be fired from Holland. The Russians will build cheap rockets to lay down fire which will help to push the Germans back and the Russians will not worry about Wernher von Braun at wars end. Wernher von Braun will start developing the missile as the Perishing Missile. Later to NASA where he will watch our boys go up through Apollo. No one during that time will say Wernher von Braun wanted to go up as a boy just that he was a Ex-German Rocket Scientist.
Bob Petersen
Bob L. Petersen
