Space Business Ideas from OOTC

Sepatuads.com   Januari 30, 2010   Cis-Lunar, idea, reblog, Space Business   Comment  

Ken Murphy over at Out of the Cradle has some interesting space business ideas:

1. Vacuum Spheres: yep, bringing back "nothing" and charging for it.  Still need to better understand the market for this one.
2. MDL Boxes: reusing boxes flown previously to cut down on the re-certification process.  Although Ken admits his method won't work under the existing regs, I think NanoRacks and Kentucky Space may be able to help us there.  I have some ideas on this one, but I will wait to more fully lay out my case for standardized experiment containers.
3. Asteroid Data - satellite at EML-1 that maps the solar system in high-def and sells the results on a subscription basis to scientists, government agencies, and entrepreneurs.
4. GeoSat Forensics - This idea needs a manned station at EML-1.  Since it would use less Delta-V to travel from GEO to EML-1, gather the over 600 tons of GEO junk and analyze how the material has aged utilizing your station at EML-1.  Such knowledge would be valuable for understanding which materials to use on future long-duration missions. Long-Term Idea.
5. Emily Free Flyers - Launching Free Flyer platforms from an EML-1 manned station around the moon and back.  very low energy trajectory - selling space for experiments and product production runs.  Long-Term Idea.
6. Monocoque Modular Transport - Develop a common "caplet" that sits atop any of the world's launchers with the modular ability to customize external "bolt-on" components based o the requirements of the mission - from trips to station to trips to the moon.

What I liked best (other than his affectionate reference to EML-1 as "Emily") was his quote:

"The more that cislunar space is opened up to entrepreneurs, the more they’ll be able to put their capital at risk to try out their ideas and pave the way for others to follow."