Author Topic: To What Extent Would You Like to Experience Spaceflight  (Read 9560 times)

Offline Gregori

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Re: To What Extent Would You Like to Experience Spaceflight
« Reply #20 on: 07/03/2011 07:47 pm »
I really don't want to die....

Going to space is not that important if it means 2% chance of death. I think I am going to wait until its made relatively safe. I might like to experience zero G on the "vomit comet". At $4900, its 50 times cheaper than VG.


When Virgin Galactic kills some people ( and it will), its going to take the sheen off that business model. Its an extremely expensive luxury. So was Concorde, and one accident was all it took to put the nail in the coffin of supersonic commercial travel.

Offline aquanaut99

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Re: To What Extent Would You Like to Experience Spaceflight
« Reply #21 on: 07/03/2011 07:56 pm »
When Virgin Galactic kills some people ( and it will), its going to take the sheen off that business model. Its an extremely expensive luxury. So was Concorde, and one accident was all it took to put the nail in the coffin of supersonic commercial travel.

Very true...

And all too likely, IMO.


Offline vt_hokie

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Re: To What Extent Would You Like to Experience Spaceflight
« Reply #22 on: 07/03/2011 07:57 pm »

When Virgin Galactic kills some people ( and it will), its going to take the sheen off that business model. Its an extremely expensive luxury. So was Concorde, and one accident was all it took to put the nail in the coffin of supersonic commercial travel.

(A) I agree, loss of life is a question of when, not if, and the fledgling industry's ability to overcome that will be a key test. 

(B) The accident is often blamed on Concorde's demise, but is that really accurate?  The Concorde fleet was after all modified and returned to service for several years.  The rising fuel costs and economic downturn were more of a factor, no?
« Last Edit: 07/03/2011 07:58 pm by vt_hokie »

Offline Gregori

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Re: To What Extent Would You Like to Experience Spaceflight
« Reply #23 on: 07/03/2011 08:15 pm »

When Virgin Galactic kills some people ( and it will), its going to take the sheen off that business model. Its an extremely expensive luxury. So was Concorde, and one accident was all it took to put the nail in the coffin of supersonic commercial travel.

(A) I agree, loss of life is a question of when, not if, and the fledgling industry's ability to overcome that will be a key test. 

(B) The accident is often blamed on Concorde's demise, but is that really accurate?  The Concorde fleet was after all modified and returned to service for several years.  The rising fuel costs and economic downturn were more of a factor, no?

A bit of both. An accident really didn't help. A 747 crash usually doesn't result in all Boeing planes being grounded for weeks.

Suborbital flight is going to have a much smaller customer base than supersonic travel had... unless its costs come way way down. There is talk of using suborbital vehicles for hypersonic travel in a similar fashion to Concorde, but I've no idea if that going to be cost effective or safe for business travel.

In the next few decades, fuel costs for all kinds of air and space travel are only going to go up. Its going to be hard to make these things cheaper. I am not saying its insurmountable for the industry, but I think its a very risky business venture.

Offline go4mars

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Re: To What Extent Would You Like to Experience Spaceflight
« Reply #24 on: 07/05/2011 02:55 am »
I hope to be an old geezer geologist on Mars in about 40 years.
Elasmotherium; hurlyburly Doggerlandic Jentilak steeds insouciantly gallop in viridescent taiga, eluding deluginal Burckle's abyssal excavation.

Offline SpacemanInSPACE

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Re: To What Extent Would You Like to Experience Spaceflight
« Reply #25 on: 07/05/2011 05:18 am »
I hope to be an old geezer geologist on Mars in about 40 years.

Need to go explore those lunar lava tubes for underground caves first!
Space is worth it God Damnit!

Offline tigerade

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Re: To What Extent Would You Like to Experience Spaceflight
« Reply #26 on: 07/05/2011 05:53 am »
I would be satisfied with spending a few days in orbit, or being on the lunar surface.

Offline Ben the Space Brit

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Re: To What Extent Would You Like to Experience Spaceflight
« Reply #27 on: 07/05/2011 07:49 am »
I'd love a trans-lunar fly-around.  Seeing Earthrise is definitely on my list of the ultimate personal experiences.  That (and $150M for the ride) aside, even a couple of weeks on Bigelow's Alpha would be nice.
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Offline SpacemanInSPACE

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Re: To What Extent Would You Like to Experience Spaceflight
« Reply #28 on: 07/05/2011 10:57 am »
I'd love a trans-lunar fly-around.  Seeing Earthrise is definitely on my list of the ultimate personal experiences.  That (and $150M for the ride) aside, even a couple of weeks on Bigelow's Alpha would be nice.

Bigelow's would be nice, but it doesn't have the amazing Cupula window, I believe one NASA astronaut said it reminded them of the Millenium Falcon, but don't quote me on that haha.
Space is worth it God Damnit!

Offline Rifleman

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Re: To What Extent Would You Like to Experience Spaceflight
« Reply #29 on: 07/05/2011 06:59 pm »
My wife and I have talked about it, and we agree that given the change for both of us to go on a one way trip to Mars, we would do it in a heartbeat. I may be the spaceflight enthusiast, but she sees the bigger picture, and knows that going to colonize another world would be one of the single greatest contributions to humanity anyone has ever made. At the end of the day, if given the chance to live the rest of your life on Mars, I think countless people would jump at the opportunity. All it takes is one picture of the enlistment office lines at December 8th, 1941, or on September 12th, 2001 to know that there are plenty of people willing to sacrifice their lives for something bigger than them self.

Offline DarkenedOne

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Re: To What Extent Would You Like to Experience Spaceflight
« Reply #30 on: 07/06/2011 02:36 am »
I really don't want to die....

Going to space is not that important if it means 2% chance of death. I think I am going to wait until its made relatively safe. I might like to experience zero G on the "vomit comet". At $4900, its 50 times cheaper than VG.


When Virgin Galactic kills some people ( and it will), its going to take the sheen off that business model. Its an extremely expensive luxury. So was Concorde, and one accident was all it took to put the nail in the coffin of supersonic commercial travel.

"One accident was all it took to put the nail in the coffin of supersonic commercial travel."

Supersonic commercial travel was dying long before the accidents.  Rising fuel costs, economic downturn, laws against supersonic flight, and environmental factors were killing it.  That incident only put the nail in the coffin of an industry that was already dying.

Space tourism is unlikely to suffer the same fate.  Supersonic travel had a much cheaper alternative that was almost as good.  Space tourism has no alternative.

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