Quote from: Richy_T on October 31, 2012, 03:38:58 PM

Quote from: sturle on October 31, 2012, 11:29:56 AM

Free? Are you a commie as well?

That gets funnier every time you do it.
Free was, perhaps, the wrong word. Unmetered would be a better one. Just pay for service and use what you like.

Limited and very expensive then.

Quote from: Richy_T on October 31, 2012, 03:38:58 PM

Quote from: sturle on October 31, 2012, 11:29:56 AM

Do you have any idea that those would cost to launch those to orbit compared with installing solar arrays on the ground? And if you want it to your house, you must say good bye to all other satellite communications, because the spectrum passing through to earth is very small, and multiple kW of power will mask all the low powered signals from communication and navigation satellites.

Now that private exploitation of space is starting to become a reality, it's starting to look affordable. If you thing ground-based solar arrays have anything on space-based ones, you have to be kidding me. Zero gravity and no atmosphere? Of course, you have to get these things out of the gravity well but there's a handy big white ball in the sky with 1/6th of the gravity and plentiful quantities of the raw material for solar. The government got bored of that one in the early 70s of course.

The investment in getting to the moon in the first place is way higher than what any company on earth would be able to muster for nothing in financial returns. And getting there is only the first step. Do you really think space exploration had come further without the competition between two superpowers with the money to do it for the honour alone?

Quote from: Richy_T on October 31, 2012, 03:38:58 PM

Quote from: sturle on October 31, 2012, 11:29:56 AM

What!? Are private companies forbidden access to space in your fscked up country?

It has been very hard for development of space exploration to occur due to the government, yes. I have no doubt it would be the same in your country if it was a place worth launching from.

We have been sending rockets into space for more than 50 years from Andøya Rocket Range. More than 1000 launches. And a Norwegian company built the platform and command ship for Sea Launch, and owned 20% in the company. Sea Launch ended in bankruptcy. It is a complicated and expensive business.

Quote from: Richy_T on October 31, 2012, 03:38:58 PM

Quote from: sturle on October 31, 2012, 11:29:56 AM

Your nuclear pile is straight below you. Drill far enough down, and the power is there. It doesn't provide electricity directly (nuclear piles don't), but heat you can use to generate electricity. It isn't regulated, just expensive. Probably much less expensive than a safe nuclear reactor for home use.

I counter your probably with a "probably not"

How are you going to produce enough fuel for a minimum sized reactor, and keep it safe and contained within, at anything close to the price of drilling a dozen holes a few km down?

Quote from: Richy_T on October 31, 2012, 03:38:58 PM

Quote from: sturle on October 31, 2012, 11:29:56 AM

This is because your government doesn't do enough for fixing the monopolies. If e.g. the government provided free healthcare for all, you could do with half of your healthcare spendings. That's almost 9% of your GDP in savings. If you did it ten years ago, the USA wouldn't have any national debt now, and people and companies wouldn't have to pay insurance money for health either. If you do it right now, the number will start decreasing.

It is because the government spends with no consequences. The only way to prevent it is to rein in government. When you can just write another check, why not? (until the day you can't).

Most governments can control their spending just fine. Japan has more net credit than the USA has net debt. Your country has many problems, and right now it seems the politicians are stuck in some pissing contest instead of doing anything. The natural consequence should be a total replacement of Congress, but it seems the piss has created so much fog in the cold political environment that people can't see what is going on.