Virgin Galactic: The Truth Behind Richard Branson's Claims of Space Flights

[DaveC426913]

It seems pretty clear that this venture does not claim to be a alternative to NASA so as others have already said, what's your point?

For the record, I actually used the phrase 'alternative to NASA', but what I mean is, an independent space effort. I make no bones about any goals beyond "making space more accessible."

 

[plum]

Well if they go high enough to see outer space and the stars during the daytime, I guess it will be worth it and it won't be a scam. That would also do a lot for reigniting public support for other space ventures.

As long as NASA is being politically pushed to Manned Mars and Lunar missions you cannot say that NASA is science driven. Any efforts at manned space mission should be driven by the commercial sector, since any man in space is a tourist.

The scientific justifications for Mars and Moon missions were already satisfied as early as the 1970's, as I see it. There is no commercial justification because there are no minerals there (other than helium3, pending at least another 20 years of cold fusion research) worth mining that can't already be found abundantly on Earth. I don't quite get your second sentence, especially since I think we can agree that we're a long way away from sending hordes of tourists to the moon.

The upcoming Mars and Moon missions are, I hope, philosophically driven- aimed at the long term goal of establishing exoplanetary colonies, should something dreadful happen to Earth. No commerce, politics, or science; just pure practical philosophy. I don't buy the argument that they are somehow a means to developing interstellar propulsion technologies.

 

[Integral]

Unfortunately, currently, Manned space flight is a boondoggle done at the expense of true planetary science. Man in space accomplishes nothing but increasing expense and reduction of the scientific payload. The preponderance of the mission is dedicated to keeping the men alive. Science takes a back seat.

It would be best if manned space flight were purely a commercial venture. The Virgin Galactic is a very good thing, this is way it should be done. NASA has shown that it can be done, it now time for the private sector to take over and continue the development. Let the scientist proceed with true space explorations using robotics and remote sensing.

 

[plum]

Actually, my interest in this stems from my viewing of it as being microcosmic of a paradigm shift. The SETI telescopic array funded by Paul Allen is one example of private sector funding not necessarily having commercial interests. As NASA keeps shovelling money into its giant holes like the ISS, what's to prevent people like Burt Rutan from using some of their profits to try and rival NASA missions? Private money tends to be spent in more efficient ways that emphasize credible results, whereas NASA seems to be constantly bogged down with rather superflous goals with vague outcomes.

 

[SaturnV]

Couple points to address:
-Someone earlier asked why we should suspect he would be able to come up with a workable launch vehicle: He already has it. He paid several (20ish i believe) million dollars to license Burt Rutan and Paul Allen's SpaceShip One.
-What is the benefit: Currently only 400ish people have been into space. If we can begin demonstrating spaceflight to people (specifically people w/ money and power), hopefully they will realize the benefits and get the process moving faster in both the public and private sectors.
-Space Flight vs. High altitude plane ride: Right now all we can accomplish is high altitude flight in the private sector. However, NASA moved from a similar program to manned moon landings in under 20 years. Rutan has already discussed the possibility of scaling SS1 up to meet the orbital criteria of Robert Bigalow's challenge to put a commercial space station up. There is the possibility of a rapid technology advancement if the interest in spaceflight does advance.
-Scam or not?: Sure you don't orbit the Earth, but you do experience weightlessness (look for pictures of the pilot of SpaceShip One tossing up M&M's), and the sky does appear black. Both of these occur for a minute or so if memory serves me correctly.

 

[DaveC426913]

-Scam or not?: Sure you don't orbit the Earth, but you do experience weightlessness (look for pictures of the pilot of SpaceShip One tossing up M&M's), and the sky does appear black. Both of these occur for a minute or so if memory serves me correctly.

True. Unfortunately, you can experience the same weightlessness without the need for altitude - the Vomit Comet does the same thing - you just don't get the view along with it.