Starship and Superheavy ("can and kicker") will not realistically cost any less than $20M per launch, plus whatever what you are launching costs to make, stow, and deploy. If it takes 100 tons to orbit, that is $200/kg minimum.
Getting a can to the lunar surface takes launching a bunch of fuel runs, so that much several times over, say $1000+/kg all told.
Bringing cans back from the moon would be counterproductive, except as needed to bring crew home. Maybe you unmount used vacuum engines, cut their bells off, and bring home the fiddly bits. Somebody should find a use for the cast-off cans, eventually, and the cut-off bells. Maybe swing the cans on the ends of a wire for artificial gravity so your bones don't dissolve; though getting in and out would be tricky. You could store energy in their kinetic motion, resolving the nighttime power problem at the expense of variable artificial gravity inside.
nine_k|3 years ago
moloch-hai|3 years ago
Getting a can to the lunar surface takes launching a bunch of fuel runs, so that much several times over, say $1000+/kg all told.
Bringing cans back from the moon would be counterproductive, except as needed to bring crew home. Maybe you unmount used vacuum engines, cut their bells off, and bring home the fiddly bits. Somebody should find a use for the cast-off cans, eventually, and the cut-off bells. Maybe swing the cans on the ends of a wire for artificial gravity so your bones don't dissolve; though getting in and out would be tricky. You could store energy in their kinetic motion, resolving the nighttime power problem at the expense of variable artificial gravity inside.