A SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH of the privately owned space ship in california
POSTED BY: ScottishBrownCoat
UPDATED: Thursday, July 1, 2004 22:34
VIEWED: 10704
PAGE 2 of 3
This is indeed gorram shiny. We are now one step closer to getting out of our cradle.
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We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.
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Okay, I apparently managed to post just as the thread was being moved. Let's try this again.
This is indeed gorram shiny news. We are now one step closer to where we want to be.
*hits "post" and prays*
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We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.
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Two concerns:
1. Couldn't he have come up with a better name? I mean "Spaceship 1". Thats a working title. TO really sell the world he needed a something with a bit more flair. Now suppose he had named the ship after something that symbolizes what he is trying to accomplish...like "Serenity". Now that'd be something.
2. What about the pilot? I'm sure he was competent and I'm proud of what he's accomplished, but the old fellow was boring as hell. "Flew to space, weightless, came down." Now I woulda picked a pilot right outa the days of pioneering flight. Leather jacket, sunglasses, and geunine test pilot enthusiasm. In other words an honost to God BDH. Not some old guy looking to supplement his social security checks.
Other then those concerns I say nice going to the people who made it happen. 21st Century Pioneers.
H
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Quote:
Originally posted by Hero:
Couldn't he have come up with a better name? I mean "Spaceship 1".
all a matter of opinions these though aren't they. personally i though it was a great name. does exactly what it says on the tin.
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eviltobz - that's lowercase gorram it!
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Quote:
Originally posted by Hero:
2. What about the pilot? I'm sure he was competent and I'm proud of what he's accomplished, but the old fellow was boring as hell. "Flew to space, weightless, came down." Now I woulda picked a pilot right outa the days of pioneering flight. Leather jacket, sunglasses, and geunine test pilot enthusiasm. In other words an honost to God BDH. Not some old guy looking to supplement his social security checks.
H
Sorry, but I have to disagree with you there. This wasn't a publicity flight (despite all the publicity
), they are still doing test flights and 'pushing the envelope' every time they fly. What you want in a situation like that is the best test pilot you can possibly find. Given Burt Rutan's reputation I would assume that he did just that.--Bleyddyn
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Three thoughts:
1) It's really a shame that NASA can't currently get ANYONE off the ground. Shuttle fleet's grounded...really looks bad, how NASA's doing these days.
2) The deal with an older pilot is this: Right now, the only way (other than being very, very rich) to get to orbit is to be one of the absolute cream-of-the-crop astronaut corps members. Spaceship One just made it so you don't have to be an astronaut corps member to go to space. That's got to be very, very exciting to both young people looking to get into space, as well as older folks who still want to get there sometime. Brings the space business into normal peoples' lives much more, which is a great, great thing.
3) I LIKE what NASA's done in many situations. I don't want to see the Station abandoned. I don't want to see us lose sight of the big picture - whether that's human flight to Mars or more rovers (I generally come down on the human flight side of the fight, but I like both). So while private spaceflight is CRITICAL in finally solving the cost issue for getting pounds into orbit, there's still a place for group vision and dreams in America. I hope we'll use that to get ourselves somewhere incredible (onboard a Firefly-class transport would be great!).
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This is exciting news!
Now we might actually have a shot of getting those flying cars sometime in the future!
LOL
technology has NOT been keeping up with traditional sci-fi assumptions of how fast we would progress (I think because corporations wanted to hold things back so they wouldn't have to change their products)...
but now I must research, can this only be done w/fossile fuels?
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Quote:Huh. Rovers. Reavers.
Originally posted by Forrestwolf:
whether that's human flight to Mars or more rovers
Always just on the edge of space. . .
Where's Zoid?
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We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.
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Ember - Only done with fossil fuels, you say? Not sure what you mean there. Spaceship One was using nitrous oxide and a rubber-like fuel (the latter IS a fossil fuel of sorts). Or do you mean the flying cars? Those could conceivably use hydrogen, though generation of hydrogen right now would likely involve consumption of fossil fuels.
Now, if you're talking about the rocket, there ARE alternatives to rocket fuel of any kind - just not all that well developed. Failing a big breakthrough in fusion power sometime soon (which might happen - very, very hard to predict), my favorite is beamed power. Microwaves or lasers could conceivably, given enough power available on the ground (we're talking gigawatts), provide energy to a spacecraft launching into orbit. Said vehicle would use VERY little propellant - we're talking about perhaps its own weight or maybe double - though the power generation requirements on the ground would obviously require a power-plant level of power (and burn nuclear or hydrocarbon fuel).
Nevermind that gigawatt-level ground-to-space microwave power transmission, while it HAS been researched by Raytheon, has never been done. It's still a great idea!'
As for flying cars, wait for the above-mentioned fusion power breakthrough - you'd need some innovative means of fusion power generation that's compact. It's a ways away.
- Forrestwolf
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