I was able to attend and provided a summary on the The Space Show along with Kim Holder of Moonwards. Videos of the conference are available on SSI’s website here. Kim and my appearance on The Space Show is here.
Determining the Gravity Rx
Joe Carroll of Tethers Applications, Inc. delivered a presentation on a proposal for a LEO partial gravity test facility at the StarShip Congress which took place in San Diego September 13 – 15. An interesting fact is that of all the surfaces of bodies in the solar system where humans may want to build settlements, all of them have gravity similar to the Moon and Mars. Thus gravity in the solar system is “quantized” to just these two levels simplifying the testing regime. Determining the prescription needed for human health in partial gravity is a critical path research topic needed for space settlement.
Satellite servicing database
An Earth orbit service and supply industry is emerging to deliver propellant, components, and repairs, as well as the ability to transfer satellites between different orbits. SpaceFund has established a database of the companies providing these services. Potential investors can view the database here .
The “First Base” on the Moon
Bigelow Aerospace already has it designed
Deep space mining made cheaper
University of Adelaide in cooperation with Space Tango are testing continuous-flow chemistry processes for economically viable extraction of precious metals from asteroids. Link here.
A practical space elevator
Called Spaceline, this cable made of currently known materials could be dropped down to Earth’s vicinity for relatively free movement between geostationary orbit and the Moon
Lunar settlement declaration
As good today as it was 20 years ago
The first private sector lunar landers
Loren Grush on three small companies attempting to place a lander on the moon in the next two years
What’s next in the commercial space transportation market
Dallas Bienhoff on the near term future of launch and cis-lunar infrastructure
The economics of mining water on the Moon
This white paper outlines the business case and identifies the gaps to be closed