Space travel is getting interesting again

[kiwitt]

First Virgin Galactic, then SpaceX now Stratolaunch


Link to video.

I am reminded of another rich man's dream - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hughes_H-4_Hercules

 

[Rashiminos]

Translation: We'll be needing a fleet.

 

[innonimatu]

Don't count on it. The novelty factor will soon wear off, and with it the financial support for "space tourism". Case in point: the Concorde. Similar thing, big novelty at the time, and quietly died for lack of interest.

And going beyond placing satellites in orbit or doing (near) "space tourism" is way beyond the resources of any private company.

 

[wilycoyote]

Don't count on it. The novelty factor will soon wear off, and with it the financial support for "space tourism". Case in point: the Concorde. Similar thing, big novelty at the time, and quietly died for lack of interest.

And going beyond placing satellites in orbit or doing (near) "space tourism" is way beyond the resources of any private company.

What? The Concorde had competition from other airplanes. That isn't relevant here. So, in your world, humans will never travel in space beyond those sent there by national governments? That is absolutely ridiculous. It may take 50 years but this is happening.

 

[PlutonianEmpire]

What? The Concorde had competition from other airplanes. That isn't relevant here. So, in your world, humans will never travel in space beyond those sent there by national governments? That is absolutely ridiculous.

Ridiculous it may be, but in the end, he's right.

 

[Crezth]

What? The Concorde had competition from other airplanes. That isn't relevant here. So, in your world, humans will never travel in space beyond those sent there by national governments? That is absolutely ridiculous. It may take 50 years but this is happening.

Much too expensive to go into deep space. No corporation would ever look at the profit margin and be comfortable squeezing in there.

You pretty much need governments to pool the money to get into space as private space travel is a pale imitation otherwise.

\/\/\/ You are demonstrably wrong.

 

[wilycoyote]

Ridiculous it may be, but in the end, he's right.

The heavy lifting has already been done by the Soviets and NASA. The science is there and already developed. This isn't as difficult as you are making it sound.

 

[wilycoyote]

Much too expensive to go into deep space. No corporation would ever look at the profit margin and be comfortable squeezing in there.

You pretty much need governments to pool the money to get into space as private space travel is a pale imitation otherwise.

Never said "deep space". Solar radiation and long-term exposure to a zero gravity environment makes that scientifically impossible at this time (NASA couldn't do it without researching it). It may take some national intervention for that. But, to the moon? That has been done 50 YEARS AGO. This last part makes you "demonstrably wrong."

 

[PlutonianEmpire]

The heavy lifting has already been done by the Soviets and NASA. The science is there and already developed. This isn't as difficult as you are making it sound.

It's not the science that's the problem, it's society. People just aren't interested in space anymore. All people wanna do nowadays is waste their time playing idiotic facebook games and whine about the most trivial of things.

 

[ParkCungHee]

Ridiculous it may be, but in the end, he's right.

Then it's probably a dead end technology if you believe that.

 

[Crezth]

Never said "deep space". Solar radiation and long-term exposure to a zero gravity environment makes that scientifically impossible at this time. It may take some national intervention for that. But, to the moon? That has been done 50 YEARS AGO.

And it took a government to do. Rockets are also highly expensive and usually fail. Also, your claim that the "heavy-lifting" has already been done by the Soviets and NASA is outright false as there are still massive technological hurdles that must be jumped.

Space tourism is risky and has an incredibly tiny profit margin. The technology for space-mining is infantile. There's no reason for companies to go into space, and even if you made it possible to set up a mining colony on the moon, there would be incredible doubts as to its profitability.

In short: We still need government space programs if you care about humanity going to space. Space travel is nowhere near the easiness threshold for private corporations to start cowboying their way through the cosmos.

It's not the science that's the problem, it's society. People just aren't interested in space anymore. All people wanna do nowadays is waste their time playing idiotic facebook games and whine about the most trivial of things.

It's both.

 

[TheLastOne36]

Damn, we only coming up with this now? Seems relatively straightforward.

 

[wilycoyote]

It's not the science that's the problem, it's society. People just aren't interested in space anymore. All people wanna do nowadays is waste their time playing idiotic facebook games and whine about the most trivial of things.

Speak for yourself. Getting into space isn't that expensive. It isn't that far off that this can be cost effective. I'm telling you, as someone more connected to this world than most (I'm in astronomy), this isn't that tough. Again, this was done 50 YEARS AGO.

 

[ParkCungHee]

Much too expensive to go into deep space. No corporation would ever look at the profit margin and be comfortable squeezing in there.

You pretty much need governments to pool the money to get into space as private space travel is a pale imitation otherwise.

I don't think there needs to be an either or in this. That's not the way it works in almost any other field of development.
But even if deep space travel is out, for now, the idea of cheap low space travel is still a viable field of development.

 

[wilycoyote]

And it took a government to do. Rockets are also highly expensive and usually fail. Also, your claim that the "heavy-lifting" has already been done by the Soviets and NASA is outright false as there are still massive technological hurdles that must be jumped.

Space tourism is risky and has an incredibly tiny profit margin. The technology for space-mining is infantile. There's no reason for companies to go into space, and even if you made it possible to set up a mining colony on the moon, there would be incredible doubts as to its profitability.

In short: We still need government space programs. Space travel is nowhere near the easiness threshold for private corporations to start cowboying their way through the cosmos.



It's both.

Yes, but the heavy lifting IS DONE. We know how to do it. Not much R&D is still required. Rockets usually fail? If this was the '50s maybe. Many companies launch satellites. That is already commercially viable.

There may be no reason from your point of view, but somehow it is happening.

 

[Crezth]

Speak for yourself. Getting into space isn't that expensive. It isn't that far off that this can be cost effective. I'm telling you, as someone more connected to this world than most (I'm in astronomy), this isn't that tough. Again, this was done 50 YEARS AGO.

And I'm a rocket scientist, what's your point?

Yes, but the heavy lifting IS DONE. We know how to do it. Not much R&D is still required.

There may be no reason from your point of view, but somehow it is happening.

No, it's not. I work in the field. It isn't happening.

Even SpaceX has been pissing away hundreds of millions just to get into space. The heavy lifting is not done. Making a rocket isn't just copying the answers off of somebody else's homework. It's complicated and it is not cheap.

 

[wilycoyote]

And I'm a rocket scientist, what's your point?



No, it's not. I work in the field. It isn't happening.

Even SpaceX has been pissing away hundreds of millions just to get into space. The heavy lifting is not done. Making a rocket isn't just copying the answers off of somebody else's homework. It's complicated and it is not cheap.

My point is clear. For me this subject isn't a curiosity or a hobby. It is my career. I deal with it everyday. I am exposed to it much more often than 99% of people.

You can disagree with it, but it is happening.

 

[ParkCungHee]

Rocket scientist fight!
First one to build a rocket and hit the other one wins!

 

[Crezth]

My point is clear. For me this subject isn't a curiosity or a hobby. It is my career. I deal with it everyday. I am exposed to it much more often than 99% of people.

You can disagree with it, but it is happening.

Your point is based on a flawed premise and uses faulty reasoning. The fact is you don't know jack about how the industry works nor how you build a rocket nor even a probe. Corporations are dipping their toes into space, a little bit at a time. But they aren't going to Mars. They aren't going to the asteroid belt. They aren't going to go mine on a space rock, and they're not even going to the moon. This phenomenon that you've invented, with magical corporate scientists zipping to the moon and back because "we've done it before," is not happening and you've yet to provide any factual evidence that it has.

As for my point, I simply direct you to the SpaceX website. Look at all the demi-rockets they've built that blew up on the pad and how long it took them just to get into space.

EDIT: Also, I really don't care that you are more "exposed" to it than 99% of people, it doesn't make you right.

 

[wilycoyote]

Your point is based on a flawed premise and uses faulty reasoning. The fact is you don't know jack about how the industry works nor how you build a rocket nor even a probe. Corporations are dipping their toes into space, a little bit at a time. But they aren't going to Mars. They aren't going to the asteroid belt. They aren't going to go mine on a space rock, and they're not even going to the moon. This phenomenon that you've invented, with magical corporate scientists zipping to the moon in back because "we've done it before," is not happening and you've yet to provide any factual evidence that it has.

As for my point, I simply direct you to the SpaceX website. Look at all the demi-rockets they've built that blew up on the pad and how long it took them just to get into space.

EDIT: Also, I really don't care that you are more "exposed" to it than 99% of people, it doesn't make you right.

1. You don't know me. You have no idea what I know.

2. Again, I NEVER said anything but the moon. Anything past that, which would require much scientific research, as stated earlier, would be MUCH more expensive than orbit or the moon, which is without a doubt were space tourism would start. I never said Mars. I never said an asteroid belt. Just to preempt you, I never said another galaxy or back in time either.

3. They are dipping their toes. Thus, my prediction was 50 years for this to happen.

4. I don't care what a single company has done. As I said, it may take 50 years.

5. Never said it made me correct, just that I am more connected to this than 99% of people. PLEASE stop putting words in my mouth.