Had to read through the comments at Instapundit to see if anyone mentioned it and no one did. Aren’t the scenarios where rescue is possible extremely limited? Maybe identifying those limited scenarios would allow for some sort of rescue program. Emergency evacuation for medical emergencies from the ISS or other LEO station is low hanging fruit. Cutting into a station to gain access isn’t. Expanding these basic capabilities to cislunar space and to lunar or Martian surfaces much more complicated.
The pdf is only 20ish pages, will have to read it.
For cislunar space, including LEO, and maybe even the surface of the Moon, keeping a SuperHeavy/Starship combo in storage, ready to gas and go on a few hours notice is probably the best you can do. The Moon is a few days away, any LEO orbit is minutes to 24hrs away, depending on incliniation. Another possibility is the Golden Spike “Jetranger” lander I’ve championed of late, able to hop around the Moon (including descent from LLO and back up) and somewhat useful on Mars.
Some years back, as part of the Mars homestead I talked about here a while ago, I envisioned a story I might write (but never did) about the homestead and its construction equipment put to profitable use. I called it, “Billy Bunzolo’s Salvage and Rescue.”
“Lost on Mars? Text oyveiismir to BBSR. We’ll be right there.”
Had to read through the comments at Instapundit to see if anyone mentioned it and no one did. Aren’t the scenarios where rescue is possible extremely limited? Maybe identifying those limited scenarios would allow for some sort of rescue program. Emergency evacuation for medical emergencies from the ISS or other LEO station is low hanging fruit. Cutting into a station to gain access isn’t. Expanding these basic capabilities to cislunar space and to lunar or Martian surfaces much more complicated.
The pdf is only 20ish pages, will have to read it.
For cislunar space, including LEO, and maybe even the surface of the Moon, keeping a SuperHeavy/Starship combo in storage, ready to gas and go on a few hours notice is probably the best you can do. The Moon is a few days away, any LEO orbit is minutes to 24hrs away, depending on incliniation. Another possibility is the Golden Spike “Jetranger” lander I’ve championed of late, able to hop around the Moon (including descent from LLO and back up) and somewhat useful on Mars.
Some years back, as part of the Mars homestead I talked about here a while ago, I envisioned a story I might write (but never did) about the homestead and its construction equipment put to profitable use. I called it, “Billy Bunzolo’s Salvage and Rescue.”
“Lost on Mars? Text oyveiismir to BBSR. We’ll be right there.”