kevin,
Your points and opinions are well taken and always welcome here. I believe we can agree that what will be built or re-built is for the testing scheduled for this year. Whether it is Sanswire One(or 1 1/2..lol) the proto-type needs to be tested(launched) so all info and results can be applied to future airships.. Control systems, power systems and high altitude performance criteria are just a few...
As with any break through technology there is always industries and companies that will fight it just like they did with wireless as they had so much invested infrastructure wise and this will be no different. Airships will be a part of the NEW age communications, it is not a matter of if, but when..As with other "break out technology" they all eventually jump on the bandwagon as they see dollar signs and new customers ...
Your points about all the "toes that will be stepped on" is true and should be pointed out. I will however reiterate that before these organizations are "hurt" the commercial side of the STRAT would have to be in FULL FORCE. The regulations for integrating this concept into the national airspace is not ready and I really don't expect it to be any time soon. If by chance the commercial side were given a green light situation today, it would take years before all the companies you mentioned were hurt or partially knocked out of business. The satellite companies will always be there, imo...If in fact the testing of the proto type is a success, I truly believe the first organization to use the technology will be the military(DoD). From there it will be tweaked and re-tweaked until the FAA sets up standards for a commercial launch. In the meantime, Huff will certainly try to launch in other countries where little or no infrastructure exists or is even feasible. I am not sure foreign governments are any more ready for this than the USA but it would seem logical it could be fast tracked somewhere where the need outweighs national airspace problems, jmo...
As far as NASA goes they have made substantial commitments to this sector and would stand to benefit in the long run if they accomplish their goals. Red tape abounds in any government run organization and I would guess NASA is no different. We will need to put faith in Huff and management to sniff out any "wolves", we as shareholders do not have many other options to that scenario...thanks Kevin...rock
AI
