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Subject:	Re: Some good news for a change, maybe?
Newsgroups:	lugnet.off-topic.debate, lugnet.off-topic.fun
Date:	Tue, 22 Jun 2004 02:42:20 GMT
Viewed:	194 times

In lugnet.off-topic.debate, David Laswell wrote: > My biggest concern about all of this is where things are going to go from here, > since the only real buzz right now is about tapping the space-tourist market. > Yes, it's cool that a privatized space flight has finally been achieved, but > what real purpose do any of the X-Prize designs serve? Rutan says he's going for orbit once this step is perfected. I don't think that a ten year timeline for that is at all aggressive considering what the last ten years have provided. > When privatized space flights can repair/recover the Hubble, > transport construction materials for the ISS, land on the moon, or even acheive > an extended orbital flight for research...then I'll be impressed. Yeah, those will be better. And then there are better yet goals. And after that too. But for now, this was plenty impressive. > I don't think NASA is in any danger of being supplanted by any of the X-Prize > contendors or their offspring within my lifetime, since the primary intended > market appears to be one that they've long ago declined to pursue. Well, I hope you're a really old man, or just wrong. I'd love to see NASA become a superfluous organ of the state. Chris

Message has 5 Replies:

		Re: Some good news for a change, maybe?
(...) What else could he say? To go into orbit he'll need a quantum leap in technology and funding. Perhaps the North Koreans could help with funding? ;) Being cynical, I'd say SpaceShipOne is nothing more than another way for the wealthy to waste (...) (20 years ago, 22-Jun-04, to lugnet.off-topic.debate, lugnet.off-topic.fun, FTX)

		Re: Some good news for a change, maybe?
(...) It's valid to ask whether this is scalable technology or not but if one isn't impressed by this, one is part of the problem, in my view. It's not the technology per se that's the impressive part, although that's certainly cool, it's that (...) (20 years ago, 22-Jun-04, to lugnet.off-topic.debate, lugnet.off-topic.fun)

		Re: Some good news for a change, maybe?
(...) With a completely new design, or with a modified version of this one? At the very least he'd need to add manouvering thrusters to make reentry possible. (...) Ten years to achieve what, exactly? Low orbit? High orbit? Moon-landings? Privately (...) (20 years ago, 22-Jun-04, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)

		(canceled)

		Re: Some good news for a change, maybe?
(...) Merely a stepping stone. (...) Well, knock me over with a feather. Somebody inside NASA is apparently considering whether NASA should give prizes too. Maybe nothing will come of it, maybe it was a misquote, who knows. But maybe??? (URL) (20 years ago, 23-Jun-04, to lugnet.off-topic.debate, lugnet.off-topic.fun)

Message is in Reply To:

		Re: Some good news for a change, maybe?
(...) Tito wasn't an astronaut (or, technically, in his case, a cosmonaut). He was sentient ballast. An astronaut is defined as a pilot or crew member on a space flight, not a tourist. (...) If she would have qualified (I'm not sure if she reached (...) (20 years ago, 22-Jun-04, to lugnet.off-topic.debate, lugnet.off-topic.fun)

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