The World Space Congress

(Houston, USA, October 9-19, 2002)

Mark Krinker

Eco Dowsing LLC, Fair Lawn, NJ, USA

e-mail: mkrinker@ecodowsing.com

The World Space Congress'2002 (WSC'2002), which took place in Houston TX during October 9-19, was the largest scientific, technical and space exhibition event ever. This event, which was announced by its organizers as once-in-a-decade, was held at the George R. Brown Convention Center.

WSC'2002 was comprised of numerous events and activities designed to fulfill many missions.

The Congress covered a wide range of space topics within Science, Technology, Infrastructure, Missions, Legal & Policy, Business & Applications, and Education & History. More than 20,000 people participated in the multitude of Congress components, including the 34th Scientific Assembly of the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR), the 53rd International Astronautic Congress (IAC), the International Space Trade Exhibition and the education outreach programs.

More than 4,000 delegates of COSPAR, the International Astronautic Federation (IAF), Space Ops and other organizations participated in the Congress and numerous associated events. Experts showcased cutting-edge science, engineering and technology research through more than 450 technical sessions hosted by COSPAR and the IAF.

Topics included science, technology, infrastructure, missions and exploration, business and applications, legal and policy factors, education and history.

Jointed COSPAR/IAF plenary sessions were devoted to:

-       International Space Station Utilization;

-       Space Commercial Applications for Other Industries;

-       Life Sciences and Biomedicine;

-       Vision for the Next 25 Years of Scientific Investigations in Space.

As seen from above, the majority of the plenary events were devoted to utilizing Space while there was a minor attention devoted to means of carriage.љ Unfortunately, in this field, all the discussions and expositions of the Congress were focused on conventional rockets. An overwhelming majority of specialists are so accustomed to them that even can't imagine other and don't look for other ways to launch and move in space.

However, fluid and solid-state engines have reached the pick of their evolution. Despite huge contributed resources, their characteristics actually have not changed for passed 20 years. A cost of space launch is immense. Launching one Shuttle costs $300 millions, not to say about amortization of a launch complex. At most we can reach is reducing 2-3 times a cost of a launch. However, if we want to build space towns, mine mineral resources on Moon, send at least tens thousands tourists to space, we have to reduce cost of launch of man as much as tens thousands times and bring a fair of a tour up to a cost of an aircraft ticket.

However, there were just 10 reports on the Congress devoted to new non-rocket ways of launching cargo to space. Doctor of Technical Sciences, chief of department of Central Research Institute of Engineering G.R. Uspensky reported one of them and nine of them were done by D.T.S. Alexander Bolonkin, a former Soviet scientist, senior research stuff of NASA, currently working in a research laboratory of Military Air Forces of USA.

George Uspensky offered a new Gravitational Theory, from which it follows that both a support-free motion and aљ kind of "perpetual mobile" are possible. Unfortunately, even if this theory proves to be confirmed, it's impossible to make a self-propelling rocket, which gets energy from a void, as well as an internal forces-driven motion in overlooked future, because what is needed for that is hyper-dense matter, which exists only in White Dwarfs and Black Holes. No theory can say how to acquire it under terrestrial conditions.

It's interesting to note that G. Uspensky's work can be related to a group of new conceptions revising habitual notions about Space-Time. They state that acquiring energy is possible either from a physical vacuum (G. I. Shipov and A. E. Akimov, Russia) or as a result of a gravitational weight reduction in an extremely low frequency electromagnetic field (F. DeAquino, Brazil).

Concepts of Alexander Bolonkin as well as developed by him theories violate no known principles of physics and mechanics. The only what is needed for some of them is high-strong materials. Partly, these materials, like for instance artificial fibers, are widely manufactured by industry, yet they are inexpensive, while others, so calledљ "whiskers" (thin threads) have been brought to commercial level, thirds, so-called nanotubes, are already created in scientific laboratories and are expected to be manufactured in 2-3 years.

Let's me dwell on just two concepts of Dr. Bolonkin. In a first project, he proposes to connect a durable cable to an aerofoil space ship and then to bring the ship up to a space speed by means of reeling the cable on a device reminding a reel. In reality it's more difficult: this is a bouquet of inventions, which can overcome those problems, which will be raised by specialists. His project which costs just $ 200-250 millions, (let's remind that conventional communication satellite costs $200 millions) is capable of launching 170 thousands tourists every year with $220 cost price per a tourist.љ If one restricts his consideration to a cargo alone, which is capable to bear heavy accelerations (up to 270g), then dimensions and cost of equipment reduces as much as tens times.

Another concept is to spin a circular cable in a vertical plane and, employing a centrifugal force tensing the cable, sling space stations beneath the cable at 10-200km altitudes, as well as employing its motion for launching satellites. This project enables to lift 770 tourists at 140 km altitude daily.

His others concepts are quite unorthodox.љ For instance:љ to couple Earth and Moon with a cable transportation system of a variable length and then ride to Moon without rockets like on a usual cable tram; employing asteroids to change trajectory of space ships; to build inexpensive inflatable space towers (he submitted three projects: with a height of 3, 30 and 100km)

As it's known, as a result of terrorist attack of September 11 2001, New York was denuded of almost all its TV programs, which were broadcasted from World Trade Center. There is a proposed project to build 600m TV-masts, $300 millions cost, in vicinity of Big New York.љљ Inflatable 3km Bolonkin's towers are as ten times as inexpensive, yet as five times as higher and are capable to handle 5000 tourists daily.

It's interesting that on the Congress and Expo in Houston, some company proposed organizing 20-seconds tourist flight of regular cargo plane on ballistic trajectory with zero gravitation. Estimated cost of a ticket is $4000. From the Bolonkin's tower, this attraction will cost $5.

The works of Dr. Bolonkin not just broke a record on number of submitted reports (he reported nine of them, while one, maximum two were allowed), but attract us by theirљљљ principal novelty and scientific courage. Yes, offering new paradigms always requires both a courage and deep knowledge. And this is what is required to overcome an actual stagnation in our understanding motion in space. Beside that, this is also a good example for scientific youth.

Worldwide Space Congress'2002 was a great event in the new century and its conducting will be assisting to joint efforts of all countries and running in Space.