The vital need for America to develop space solar power
by James M. (Mike) Snead
An interesting and timely debate has begun within the American pro-space community about the need to support the start of the commercial development of space solar power (SSP). Given strongly held personal and organizational preferences for space science, suborbital commercial human spaceflight, the human exploration of Mars, etc., it’s not surprising that achieving a consensus to support and strongly advocate for starting the commercial development of SSP has not yet been reached. I argue that the time for such support has arrived. Such support will not only help America and many other nations avoid energy scarcity later this century, but it will also help advance America into a new era of the space age focused on space industrialization that will broadly benefit all pro-space agendas.
To anyone who does not believe we need a vigorous SSP program ASAP, read Mike Sneads paper ‘The end of easy energy and what to do about it’. It answers all the naysayers questions in very precise detail. Jerry Sibol