Rehab for Rockets

摘要

UCLA space physics professor Paul Coleman, hoping to cash in on the so-called peace dividend, is looking for a deal on ICBMs. Yes, intercontinental ballistic missiles. As president of the Maryland-based Universities Space Research Association, Coleman has spent much of the last 10 years looking for a cheap ride to space for academic satellites. Currently, it's impossible to launch even a small commercial payload on a U.S. rocket for less than $15 million. Surplus ballistic missiles, Coleman argues, could become a new class of small, low-cost launch vehicles.