Commercial Space Flight

[SimpleMinded]

Okay, so it started when I saw a contest with pepsi? or some other company offering a chance to be one of the first people to win a place on the first trip into space. Then on 60 minutes I saw some guy talking about designing inexpensive means of accomplishing it.

The article is here: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/06/30/60minutes/main705481.shtml

I don't really have much to say about it though, nor do I feel like reading through it and critiquing the whole thing. I was curious what you guys thought though as I think it's a buncha crap that I really couldn't imagine being a worthwhile venture . So Welsh, feel free to tackle the article for me. And if this is already on the forum and I just haven't seen it yet... sorry, you can vat .

 

[4too]

X 15

X 15



More than 40 years past the X 15, the technology, funding, and balls, is accessible to the private sector.

While nation states are obsessed with non or "ex" nation states, and our Republican Majority is politicking to get out of the Social Security business, I doubt the government can rationally justify the cost of space exploration.

After the Iraq adventure and the push to privatize Social Security,
after Haliburton and Merl Lynch get their reserved positions at the federal trough,
Bush's gush about landing on Mars seems "moonshine"

Sort of puts us in the 1920's and 1930's when individuals were the heros of improving, advancing aircraft technology.



4too

 

[welsh]

I agree with 4too. A lot of aero-space work is done for commercial purposes thanks to the information revolution. States have an interest for military reasons, some scientific reasons and for economic advancement, but a lot of the drama of space was about nationalism.

That said, maybe this is more a return to the past. Remember many of the first imperial/colonial adventures were done by chartered companies, licensed by the state but generally funded by private venture capital. Even the exploration of the deep-sea has been partially funded by private money in relationship to the state.

When Ballard was looking for the Titanic, he was also looking for the wreckage of a submarine Cyclops (I think), Hughes helped fund the recovery of a soviet submarine and more recently a group of treasure hunters found the Central America after being funded by private capital. So maybe this is little more than a throughback to the past.

For private individuals to follow up gives this endeavor more excitement and more life. I like this. But I grew up with a vision of Panamerica flying to an orbiting space station to the tunes of the Blue Danube Waltz (thanks to Kubrick). This is cool, if late in coming.

 

[Lazarus Plus]

Space travel will be incredibly important to humanity's future. I wish the billions of dollars that are being wasted on Iraq would go towards NASA and alternative energy research instead.

Sheesh.