Chatroom
 

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Bad Astronomy and Universe Today Forum > Universe Today > Universe Today Story Comments
Reload this Page Why Can't We Launch Trash Into Space?
Register FAQ Members List Calendar Mark Forums Read

   

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #1 (permalink)  
Old 29-April-2008, 06:00 AM
Fraser's Avatar
Fraser Fraser is offline
Administrator
  
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Courtenay, BC, Canada
Posts: 11,171
Default Why Can't We Launch Trash Into Space?
Question: Why Can't We Launch our Trash Into Space?Answer: Now wouldn't that be a tidy solution to a big problem? Gather together all the garbage, bundle it up and fire it off into space. Maybe just dump it into the Sun. We could live in a world without trash.There are just two problems: humans produce [...]

More...
Reply With Quote
  #2 (permalink)  
Old 29-April-2008, 08:57 AM
hhEb09'1's Avatar
hhEb09'1 hhEb09'1 is offline
Senior Member
  
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: NC USA
Posts: 7,978
Default
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fraser View Post
Quote:
I'm sure I've made some math errors here somewhere…
Math! (Neverfly, get the popcorn!)
Quote:
It's been estimated that launching material on the space shuttle costs about $10,000/pound ($22,000/kg). Even if engineers could bring down prices by a factor of 10, it would still be thousands of dollars to launch the garbage into space. Let's imagine a wonderful dream world, where launch costs could be brought down to $1,000/kg - a factor of 1/20th the cost to launch on the space shuttle.

It has also been estimated that the United States alone produces 208 million metric tonnes of garbage per day… per day! So, to launch all that trash into space would cost the United States $208 billion per day… per day!
Wouldn't that be $208 trillion per day?
Reply With Quote
  #3 (permalink)  
Old 29-April-2008, 10:41 AM
Neverfly's Avatar
Neverfly Neverfly is offline
Senior Member
  
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: ATX
Posts: 11,028
Default
Quote:
Originally Posted by hhEb09'1 View Post
Math! (Neverfly, get the popcorn!)
It's the trivial quirk threads that I find so wild.
Things like: What is infinity divided by zero squared?
Reply With Quote
  #4 (permalink)  
Old 30-April-2008, 01:17 AM
Maha Vailo Maha Vailo is online now
Senior Member
  
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Sunrise, FL
Posts: 1,021
Default
Why launch trash into space when it makes a lot more sense (resource- and energy-wise) to recycle it?

- Maha "another man's treasure" Vailo
__________________
When you get down to it, Science answers how. Religion answers why. - hippietrekx
Reply With Quote
  #5 (permalink)  
Old 30-April-2008, 01:40 AM
Hedgerow Hedgerow is offline
Junior Member
  
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 1
Default
Quote:
Originally Posted by hhEb09'1 View Post
Wouldn't that be $208 trillion per day?
like that will keep anyone here from thinking its a good idea
Reply With Quote
  #6 (permalink)  
Old 30-April-2008, 11:48 AM
mfumbesi's Avatar
mfumbesi mfumbesi is offline
Senior Member
  
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Pretoria, Afric'de Sud
Posts: 688
Default
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neverfly View Post
It's the trivial quirk threads that I find so wild.
Things like: What is infinity divided by zero squared?
The answer is 42....I couldn't resist sorry.
The real answer is, wait for it, infinity!!!.
__________________
This whole internet thing is probably not a passing fad.-Ronald Brak
While speech might be free, consequences cost.-Doodler
Reply With Quote
  #7 (permalink)  
Old 30-April-2008, 11:56 PM
Neverfly's Avatar
Neverfly Neverfly is offline
Senior Member
  
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: ATX
Posts: 11,028
Default
Quote:
Originally Posted by mfumbesi View Post
The answer is 42....I couldn't resist sorry.
The real answer is, wait for it, infinity!!!.
You had me at 42.
Reply With Quote
Reply

« Where In The Universe? | Explore Earth's Ionosphere with Google Earth »

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes
Linear Mode Linear Mode

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
From today until 2020...What are the significant things happ username24 Astronomy 39 29-September-2007 12:22 AM
Why the perfect background of the ISU isn’t luminiferous aether either. Bogie Against the Mainstream 12 21-May-2007 01:04 PM
New Russian Shuttle? Nicolas Space Exploration 48 16-March-2006 11:42 AM
SPACE FOUND TO BE CONTRACTING Richard J. Hanak Against the Mainstream 4 22-July-2004 03:19 PM
Favourite astronomy book(s) kashi Astronomical Observing, Equipment and Accessories 40 10-June-2004 09:36 AM


All times are GMT. The time now is 09:21 AM.

Contact Us - Bad Astronomy and Universe Today Forum - Archive - Top

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.3
Copyright ©2000 - 2008, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
LinkBacks Enabled by vBSEO 3.0.0
©  2006 Bad Astronomy and Universe Today