A_M_Swallow - 4/5/2008 10:50 PMEstimating the cost of a small SEP Ferry.A full estimate would consider all the steps to make a SEP Ferry but the cost can be estimated by looking at the known costs of an existing SEP vehicle - the DAWN probe. DAWN has an estimated budget of about $500 million of which $327 million was spent during development.Reference NASA press release 06-108http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2006/mar/HQ_06108_Dawn_reinstates.htmlA SEP Ferry will need more thrust than DAWN so more/bigger ion thrusters, solar panels and fuel tank are required. The ferry will also need a cargo area, rendezvous system and possibly an arm. It will not need the scientific equipment such as the spectrometers. This suggests a price of about $350 million plus launch cost.p.s. The larger SEP Ferries will also have very high solar panel costs.
wingod - 7/5/2008 6:12 PMFunny, SMART-1 only cost 110 million Euros and went from the Earth into lunar orbit.
A_M_Swallow - 7/5/2008 12:59 PMQuotewingod - 7/5/2008 6:12 PMFunny, SMART-1 only cost 110 million Euros and went from the Earth into lunar orbit.110 million euros is about 170 million U.S. dollars, approximately half the cost of DAWN.SMART-1 was made in Sweden. NASA and its main contractors do not have a large research establishment in Sweden so will probably have to pay U.S. wages.To permit a space-line to make a profit from a tramp SEP Ferry tight cost control is likely to be needed during design and manufacturing.
A_M_Swallow - 7/5/2008 1:57 PMQuotewingod - 7/5/2008 7:21 PMDo you really mean to insult Swedes in this fashion? At the time that SMART-1 was built the Euro was trading at 80 cents to the dollar. so that is really about $100 million dollars.You are in a bad mood today.The Euro-dollar has changed since the Wiki page was entered.
wingod - 7/5/2008 7:21 PMDo you really mean to insult Swedes in this fashion? At the time that SMART-1 was built the Euro was trading at 80 cents to the dollar. so that is really about $100 million dollars.
SteveMick - 18/12/2006 7:05 PMBy using concentrated sunlight to directly heat hydrogen or another propellent accelerations up to about 1/10th gee are possible. By using a series of thrusts at perigee, such a system can raise its orbit and acheive escape to a Mars trajectory in about a week. Solar electric propulsion can then be used to shorten transit time. This is the fastest cheapest and most developed alternative to much slower chemical propulsion.
wingod - 7/5/2008 11:56 PMHow about the fact that I just helped to chair the preliminary design of a small SEP tug and know exactly what the costs are and know that your numbers are completely meaningless.