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The private sector: picking up where NASA left off (cool article)

SystemSystem Member, NoReporting Posts: 178,019 Arc User
edited April 2011 in Ten Forward
Since watching Spaceship One win the X-prize for civilian space-flight I started to realize that the days where we would all need to wait for an individual nation's space agency to act were numbered. Reading articles like this one give me hope.

Seeing as how NASA got the axe, I had been hoping we would still be finding ways to explore out there. Many nations have been to the moon now, time to push farther and with this new rocket, it just might be possible to do just that.

Oh, and on a less grandiose note, at least NASA can pay them like a space-taxi to still make trips to the ISS and for only like 500k as opposed to the 1.5 billion required when all things are said and done to launch a shuttle. Good news really in that now little kids can still aspire to be astronauts.

Just a cool article I wanted to share.
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2011
    I know NASA's budget has been reduced over the years, but I didn't think it was disbanded.

    I agree that space flight will slowly become more feasible for private/commercial organizations. It's always been the case that new technologies and frontiers are explored when they provide some sort of advantage that can be exploited, either militarily or commerically. So far, space really hasn't been that for either, except for spy satellites, and more terrestrial drones are proving more effective than sats.

    Hell, the Phoenix warp ship in First Contact was a commercial venture. Cochrane even says as much!
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2011
    Archanubis wrote:
    Hell, the Phoenix warp ship in First Contact was a commercial venture. Cochrane even says as much!

    Especially given Gene's anti-capitalism view (aka early TNG Ferengi), that is amusing.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2011
    Speaking of private sector spaceflight, the Branson guy is making a submarine now, too.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2011
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2011
    Archanubis wrote:
    I know NASA's budget has been reduced over the years, but I didn't think it was disbanded.

    Yeah, but they have no plans of making another human-carrying vessel that I know of. That's more what concerned me. Really don't care about probes.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2011
    Yeah, but they have no plans of making another human-carrying vessel that I know of. That's more what concerned me. Really don't care about probes.

    There was something that The Man put out about going to visit an Asteroid, and using that to gain experience to go to Mars. I am not sure how traveling to a near Zer-G asteroid will help us with a nearly 1G and atmosphered planet. At least with W there was a plan and equipment in development to go to the Moon and to Mars. I'm very excited to see how Space X gets on with ther Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy Rockets. I looked up there website to see what jobs they had here in the DC area, but they only had "Office Manager" which is pretty much a Secretary/Receptionist type person in the PC way of speaking. all their other sites are way to warm and/or earthquakey for me
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2011
    Since the governments aren't focused on space it seems that the private industry has to find ways to make space profitable. It all comes down to money.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2011
    Really don't care about probes.

    That's why nasa just isn't getting the funding anymore. Humans aren't needed until they're colonizing other worlds or something. Everything else costs 1/100th as much to use a robot.

    What did the guys do on the moon? They picked up rocks, took pictures, and hit a golf ball. Is there anything that required a human with food, oxygen, heat, pressure suits, a buggy, etc....? Nope.

    The space stations do research on life in space, so that needs life... but there's just nothing for people to do out there. If you want to do science, send a probe. If you want to have fun, don't use public funds -- let the private companies waste their own money. :rolleyes:
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2011
    hort_wort wrote: »
    What did the guys do on the moon? They picked up rocks, took pictures, and hit a golf ball. Is there anything that required a human with food, oxygen, heat, pressure suits, a buggy, etc....? Nope.

    They beat the Russians which was the primary mission as laid down by JFK. The rest was just gravy. That also explains why the American appetite for space flight diminished once we planted the flag.

    I want a commercial outfit to build a resort on the moon. People got on rickety wood boats for a months to make it to America. Are you saying no one is willing to make the three day flight to the moon?
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2011
    Maybe we oughta take up the mantle then - and go forth in the mightiest vessel of them all....

    The Cardboard Box.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2011
    NASA pretty much getting the ave was one of the saddest things in US history...so much good has come from space exploration.

    And if NASA didn't get the axe, we would have had another Moon mission in a few years... :(


    Maybe Transformers 3 will make everyone like space travel again :p
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2011
    Only two shuttle launches left. STS-134 viewing tickets from the Kennedy Space Center are sold out.. here's hoping for STS-135. If those sell out.. well there's always Titusville..
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2011
    Only two shuttle launches left. STS-134 viewing tickets from the Kennedy Space Center are sold out.. here's hoping for STS-135. If those sell out.. well there's always Titusville..

    I saw STS-133 from the causeway as a guest of NASA.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited April 2011
    I saw STS-133 from the causeway as a guest of NASA.

    Nice! I've never seen a launch before in-person so I better get my butt in gear or I'll be stuck watching Delta Vs. :p
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