Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronald Brak
The energy is easy is small potatoes. Look at what the US goes through. Most of us can afford enough LOX and kerosene to launch ourselves into orbit. Or LOX and hydrogen. The reusable, safe, suborbital space plane is the expensive part.
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I disagree. A truly reusable space plane would need labour more than anything, as the physical components would last multiple flights. Lack of people is not a problem society is likely to face in the future. So it is a fuel problem.
Kerosene is obviously out, because the last thing we need as we edge towards peak oil is to start burning it off by the tonne sending millions of people on vanity trips into space. LOX comes from liquefied air and so is heavily dependent on electricity - which is getting more expensive by the day. Most hydrogen today is derived from fossil fuels, so expect the price to go up a bit when it has to come from electrolysis instead.
If you have electricity, getting hydrogen and oxygen isn't a problem. But there really is no capacity for such a surge in personal consumption.