first civillian spacecraft successful

[noodle]

kudos to spaceshipone and the team for sending <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/ID/5261571/" target="_blank">the first civillian built and manned spacecraft into space</a>. pilot is mike melvill.

[Gav]

Yes, and long overdue. Congratulations to Rutan and crew.

[Mergs]

Wooohooo! Way to go Burt and company! Maybe this is our Lindberg crossing the Atlantic event to finally make this a reality for the public. Keep your fingers crossed and support this effort anyway you can.

[Event Horizon]

Yeah, congrats to the team. Too bad that it's so damn expensive that it prevents more folks from doing similar experiments. Let's hope more rich folks decide to invest in these types of ventures.

[Gav]

SpaceshipOne and White Knight cost about $20 Million. Compare that with the cost of similair NASA projects. I believe it is only a matter of time before a private enterprise goes orbital [and I would bet on Bert Rutan and Co to do it]. This is a very important aerospace development. It's a proof-of-concept rather than a real attempt to create a space tourism industry (a bit like Lindbergh). By All accounts a trip on Spaceship One will set you back about $100,000. Expensive but much cheaper then it would cost to visit the ISS.

I hope this leads to more innovation and the start of a new industry.

[a517dogg]

I believe that on CNN they said a space shuttle flight cost something like half a billion dollars. Compared with $20 million soup to nuts for Spaceship One, I'd say:

Private Enterprise: 1
NASA : 0

[noodle]

I believe that on CNN they said a space shuttle flight cost something like half a billion dollars. Compared with $20 million soup to nuts for Spaceship One, I'd say:

Private Enterprise: 1
NASA : 0

to clarify: 500 million per single shuttle flight for nasa
20 million and change is the entire cost of development and production of this project including all test flights through this last record-breaking one (i think).

[CarlKnoch]

I'm not sure that $20 million was all it cost. They haven't said how much MORE than $20 million it has cost. They were vague when asked how much it really cost. That being said, I'm not so sure that now that the development is over they couldn't put that bird up for a few million per flight and keep it safe.

The shirtsleeves environment in the cabin is kewl, but I was a bit concerned that during the descent the guy had to withstand 5 Gs.

[Gav]

to clarify: 500 million per single shuttle flight for nasa
20 million and change is the entire cost of development and production of this project including all test flights through this last record-breaking one (i think).

Although you are quite correct, we have to remember that the Shuttle has a crew of 6-7 and a large payload bay.

Still, it's a mighty achievement and I hope they press on.

[noodle]

Although you are quite correct, we have to remember that the Shuttle has a crew of 6-7 and a large payload bay.

Still, it's a mighty achievement and I hope they press on.

true. but i feel pretty confident that if the corporate team was given 500mil to develop something similar, they'd have a substantial surplus when they were done and it wouldn't cost that much every flight...

and also, yeah it was probably more than 20mil. but it doesn't seem like it was enough to make them say "30mil" instead. and no matter how you look at it, even 50mil is an order of magnitude smaller than the cost of a single flight of the shuttle.

[Event Horizon]

$20 Million is still a lot of money. Yes, it's defientely cheaper than a shuttle flight, but it still excludes many people from getting into this new industry. Not many people can or are willing to put up that kind of money for just 3 minutes in space. Granted this was just a test flight and I'm curious to see how the next few flights go. It took a multi-billionare to bank roll this project and there aren't too many of those around willing to make this kind of investment. So is it really a breakthrough? Or is it just going to be a filler for the news until something else comes along?

Don't get me wrong now, I'm estatic to see that it was a successful flight and that it might open up doors for future endeavors in space by non government entities. However, it may still be decades away until going into space is available to the common citizen. I feel it will take many more flights that must sustain longer times in space in larger crafts, before companies are gonna get on board and invest in it. Unfortunately, it's all about costs and maximizing profits and not about folks with big dreams of space flight and the ability to fullfill them. Just my thoughts.

[MHS Fencer]

In terms of price tag, you have to wonder how much has to do with the available technology at the time of development. Yes, the space shuttle was folds more costly, but it was also designed beginning what, 30 years ago? At the time it was cutting edge (or much closer to it) while now it's an old expensive and costly clunker. This isn't just a straight up private innovation vs. government bureaucracy comparison (although there does seem to be a culture that stifles originality in NASA that is exactly what make spaceship one so efficient).

That said, I'm excited that there is finally a (relatively) cheap way to get into space as a proof of concept - the sky's not the limit anymore. (And this time the innovation isn't led by Nazi war criminals - yay!)

[noodle]

yeah, the old cost probably had a lot to do with holdover tech that costs a lot of cash. but the point is that they haven't changed it and it still costs a crap load.

now, if they perfect this technology and contract out cheap space flights, nasa can save several hundred million and put it elsewhere. one way or another, this is probably going to result in some serious money saved.

[hpfencing]

The thought scares me but it is exciting. I feel some businesses will want to venue with space flights, but I fear the saftey. There are currently no real guidelines for people who what to get into teh industry, are there?

I am excited because one day we may all be taking family vacations to the moon.

[noodle]

well, no business is going to succeed, especially such a publicised one, if their clients keep getting hurt/mangled/dead/etc. i feel pretty confident that safety is their first issue.

[Mergs]

OK, time for me to weigh in on this one.

I think that there are some parallels between this and the development of the airplane. First off, Burt and company are reaping the rewards of a lot of government research and development. $20M+ over 10 years isn't a real stretch for someone like Paul Allen (hell, his taxes are more than that!). Mr. Lindberg was in the same boat when he made the New York to Paris run (well, as far east as possible and still be called New York). Many of the earlier transatlantic and duration type flights were made by military crews, in government developed aircraft. BUT, it was his flight that showed that if a "private" venture could do it, then why not other private citizens in larger aircraft. Yes, his flight was what broke loose air travel.

The point about the shuttle's capabilities vs spaceshipone is well made. But what was not pointed out was that the shuttle is designed for orbital flight. It takes a heck of a lot more power to put something into orbit, which translates into more weight, which means more power, etc. Also, as was so dramatically pointed out by the Columbia disaster, re-entry heat dissipation is still the sticking point about space travel. It's easy to put something up, but getting it back down in one piece is still a bit tricky (ask Mr. Glenn!).

All that said, it is a start. I just hope that there is a market out there to make a go of it. It's good to see that good 'ole capitalism can still make things like this happen.

[gojujay]

The thought scares me but it is exciting. I feel some businesses will want to venue with space flights, but I fear the saftey. There are currently no real guidelines for people who what to get into teh industry, are there?

I am excited because one day we may all be taking family vacations to the moon.

First off, congrats to Ruttan and crew, who succeeded in spite of government regulations.

Every time the govt. sticks it's nose into something, they usually louse it up. Allow the MARKETPLACE to work (even though it's slow) and your family will take that vacation a lot sooner.

[daeceg]

Found this awesome slideshow here:

http://www.rokits.org/gallery/slides...umName=x-prize

[Mergs]

Found this awesome slideshow here:

http://www.rokits.org/gallery/slides...umName=x-prize

WOW! That is awesome.