SpaceShipOne did it!

So now we're on it! The era of private space flights has begun... SpaceShipOne, for the second time in five days, was successful in flying suborbital! This time the "plane" went as high as 114km, according to preliminary measurements, which would beat the record set by the X-15 in 1963!!

I am most pleased with this, as, as I see it, it is an open door to a new era of transportation and travel...

It's not too good of an idea right now IMO, to let space travel go private. Well, if we leave the technologies in the hands of the free-world it'll be OK. Space travel in the wrong hands, e.g. terrorists would make havov of the instability that our world is presently facing.

Don't get me wrong. I think that venturing into space is a great idea. But it should be limited to only a select group of people. Not every 'yahoo' who wants to go up. This on 'yahoo' may have ulterior motives and stopping an inbound space-craft would be difficult, unless it was confronted head-on.

I think this is wonderful. it's about time we broke up the government monopoly on spaceflight. even though they are talking about a $200,000 price tag to buy a ticket..its a start. My only concern is the Government finding some way to legislate it to stop the general public from space flight.
They have lots of reasons why they wouldnt want people going into orbit.
They've got spy satelites that could become vulnerable, the space stations, possible military projects in orbit...ect. ect.

Well honestly, yes and no... I don't see any reason why a satellite would be more vulnerable to private space flights than any "spy" radar to any earth wanderer...

Btw, I've seen double posts, but you're a star: quadruple post!

Round one for Scaled!

Now question is how long it will take before others can make these suborbital flights... or will Scaled make orbital flight before that.


Suborbital flight won't cause any danger to satellites... also normal airplane is still more usefull for terrorists as weapon.

Originally posted by E_T
Now question is how long it will take before others can make these suborbital flights... or will Scaled make orbital flight before that.

Suborbital flight won't cause any danger to satellites... also normal airplane is still more usefull for terrorists as weapon.

Do you know what mile marker you need to get to to call it orbital. I know sub orbit is 62.5 miles, but whats orbit (for some reason i'm thinking 100 miles).

This is a small craft, terrorist would be idiots to pay $200,000 to steal this craft (which is around the same size as normal 4 person plane) and crash it into a building. They could buy a few small planes for that price. I think that every "yahoo" as someone put it, should have a chance to go into space.

I have seen burts and virgin galactics plans for the future, and they look good. There hoping that around 2030 there will be a orbital hotel at around 100 miles up, and there will even be this one part where theres a glass dome/bubble sticking out of the structure that people can sloat around in and see out off it and stare out of it. Now that would be worth any price. While they say there starting costs for Space Ship One will be $208,000, That should fall to under $100,000 over a 5 year span.

Virgin Galactic will start sending people with fat wallets up in 3-4 years. Cause thats how long it will take to build a larger 5 seat verion of Spaceship 1, and they plan on building 5 of them.

Nasa is welcoming this with open arms, they will even start handing out check to people who accomplich certain tasks in the years to come.

I think that space is finally being opened up to the masses.

This is truely a historic moment! Years from now we will look back and see this as the defining moment that opened up space to everyone!

And ofcourse NASA is going to open their arms(its not like they have much choice) or else they would look like a bunch of fools...

hopefully know they know that with money and efford the privat sector can do this I hope that companies as shell and bp go to space and get there oil from space or some other fuel which we can use. because that will bring down the demand of oil or fuel from the middle east there by make us less dependend on the middle east oil so we can leave those people alone and if we leave them alone terrorist will stop because oil is the one reason for war and there by creating terrorist . so space exploration and us getting resources from space or making some things in space can make our world saver and peacefully.
think that will be a next step together with space tourism,

Originally posted by MarkLuitzen
hopefully know they know that with money and efford the privat sector can do this I hope that companies as shell and bp go to space and get there oil from space or some other fuel which we can use. because that will bring down the demand of oil or fuel from the middle east there by make us less dependend on the middle east oil so we can leave those people alone and if we leave them alone terrorist will stop because oil is the one reason for war and there by creating terrorist . so space exploration and us getting resources from space or making some things in space can make our world saver and peacefully.

think that will be a next step together with space tourism,

- Your thinking is all wrong.
This is about space tourism, IE-Sight Seeing, the experience, pictures.
There are several better ides like hydrogen that we will use before we get our oil from space. We are in a transition period now: Hybrid, Electric, Hydrogen, Hell maybe even solar. But certainly not getting any oil from space.

Although everyone knows that Shell & BP have a # load of money, so i would like to see them do what paul allen did, Just Finance it. They could put there logos on the craft so thye get the recognition and hence more business.

This is a great day

The only hope we have to get into space is free-enterprise. As long a the government controls it, it will ALWAYS cost millions of dollars and be the most ass-backwards and ineffiencent way possible.

Let some companies find a way to make a buck on it and we will have hotels on the moon in 20-30 years

lets see a pic of this baby x

Originally posted by Amuk
This is a great day

The only hope we have to get into space is free-enterprise. As long a the government controls it, it will ALWAYS cost millions of dollars and be the most ass-backwards and ineffiencent way possible.

Let some companies find a way to make a buck on it and we will have hotels on the moon in 20-30 years

I agree.

The funny thing is it would cost you 20 million to go into space on a russian rocket to the ISS for a week. While it costs Paul Allen 25 million to build spaceship one and whiteknight.

and your close, it wont be the moon, it will be space hotels a 100 miles up.

$10 million prize? Why such a small price considering how much it cost to build Spaceship1?

Personally I cannot wait for orbital tourism.

When I saw the effort it took to get this plane into sub-orbit, I sat back and realised that we are very very primative. Considering how muc is out there to explore, we are just barely getting humans off the Earth. It is sad but true.

Anyway, good luck to the engineers with the next step to win a huge (sarcastic) sum of $50 Million.

Ezekial
$10 million prize? Why such a small price considering how much it cost to build Spaceship1?

Some teams who were trying to get the prize were spending well under 10 million.

Also they knew that once a craft has made it that the real money is in investors, tourism, entrepreneurs, etc. the 10 mill was just the inncentive to get it going, the spark that lit the fire.

Virgin Galactic created by the same guy that started Virgin Airlines Sir Richard Branson has flights planed in the next 2-3years. Virgin has already payed a nice some to licensed the technology. They are already letting people sign up I think.

The British entrepreneur is having five "spaceliners" built. His versions will be alittle bigger the SpaceShipOne and will be able to carry 5 people. Its expected to cost between $100,000-$200,000 for a ride.

So Scaled Composite is getting 10 million from the X-prize and a deal with Virgin expected to go into the hundreds of millions of dollars. Not bad for a 25 million investment.



news.bbc.co.uk...

[edit on 4-10-2004 by ShadowXIX]

well on the moon the is helium 3 which on earth u can only get from decominsinted nuclear weapons so its quiet rare but it worth more then diamonds its probably the only reason why the super powers are going to go back to the moon becuze there isn't a whole lot there maybe shell might go there to oh if your wondering helium 3 will be used for nuclear fusion which is a good thing