Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!oodis01!uplherc!esunix!bpendlet
From: bpendlet@esunix.UUCP (Bob Pendleton)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Re: NSS Board membership
Message-ID: <1206@esunix.UUCP>
Date: 25 Jan 89 16:05:46 GMT
References: <5740@cbmvax.UUCP>
Organization: Evans & Sutherland, Salt Lake City, Utah
Lines: 23

From article <5740@cbmvax.UUCP>, by jesup@cbmvax.UUCP (Randell Jesup):
> In article <93@beaver.cs.washington.edu> szabonj@right.UUCP (Nick Szabo) writes:
>>What if we build our $100+ billion dollar lunar base, and then find out
>>there is nothing worthwhile there?*
> 
> 	There's one very valuable thing there: energy.  We're burning up our
> energy reserves (the current oil glut is merely pumping more of it out of
> the ground.)  When we're out, will we still have the capitol/energy/etc
> to then try to set up SPS's?

There is more coal in the intermountain west than oil left in arabia.
There is a mountain of thorium in Idaho. There are huge amounts of
natural gas deep under the gulf coast. Every couple of years someone
adds another half percent to the efficiency of solar cells...

I can imagine that Japan might get hard enough up for power that they
would consider building an SPS. The US? don't hold your breath.

			Bob P.
-- 
              Bob Pendleton, speaking only for myself.
UUCP Address:  decwrl!esunix!bpendlet or utah-cs!esunix!bpendlet

		Reality is what you make of it.