From: Monte Davis 

John Beckett  wrote:


>Excellent. However, I've gone off space. I watched Carl Sagan's Cosmos,
>and own a couple of his books. They are great. However, IMHO we need the
>research on earth now.

Agreed, with one important qualification: I too have "gone off
space" AT THE PRICES WE'VE BEEN PAYING SINCE 1957: $5,000 to $20,000
per kilogram in low Earth orbit.

My interest in space elevators is a direct consequence of my conviction
that those numbers are never going to come down much with chemical rockets.

At $100 to $500 per kg or less, you can begin to think seriously about
space activity that pays for itself... and the whole picture changes.

-Monte

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