Re: SpaceShipOne made it!
 

One down, one to go.

Well, this is pretty exciting. SpaceShipOne has made their flight today, the first of 2 total flights within a weeks time.

Re: SpaceShipOne made it!
 

Please forgive me for saying this.
I've known of this project for quite some time now. I can't say I've followed it very closely. It's good to see it finaly comming to an end. I hope the Rutan wins. He's one of the coolest planebuilders around. Go Burt!
No flames so far, heh.

Here are the flames you've been waiting for.
This flimsy "spaceship", if you can call it that, is not very cool. It looks stupid, amateuristic and far tooo small. Okay, I like the design, it's better then the boeing 7's (they all look the same), but it still doesn't look like a military grade battlecruiser.
Yeah, I know it was a contest for CIVILIANS. But still. Why don't they just put the hands together (form a huge corporation) and develop something like an extension for the ISS. From there you can build, launch and recover spacecraft. Hell, you can even launch tourists in space (don't get too close to the copper bully). I think this contest has a too narrow field of vission. Their goal is too limited.

Please don't take offense of this message, this is just my vision.

Re: SpaceShipOne made it!
 

Maybe you are right, but see it as pionneers work.
I saw in the newspaper that within one month they will put tourists in space with that craft.

So as soon the big companies notice that there is a market for it they will join asap !!

Inti,

Re: SpaceShipOne made it!
 

I surely hope so. Coz, that's one of the few reasons why companies are willing to invest in it.

Re: SpaceShipOne made it!
 

Yes, good news but not nearly such a big deal as some people are making it out to be. This is a sub orbital flight. A true orbital mission needs to build up something like ten times the speed (= energy) of this flight. And then be able to bleed it off when returning! We're still a very long way from commercial manned space flight without government help.

Re: SpaceShipOne made it!
 

In the paper here for the Last 2 days they have stories about Richard Bransons new company "Virgin Galactic" which claims in 3 years they will start space trips for $A300,000 (which is about $US210,000) for a 4min flight. It has him holding up a model of SpaceShipOne with Virgin markings, and it says they are going to build a small fleet. One entrepenuer here (who runs an electronics store chain) says he'd be willing to do it but only if he gets to be the pilot (he's a bloke who once flew a helicopter across Antarctica)

http://www.virgingalactic.com/

Re: SpaceShipOne made it!
 

$210,000 US? All right, I'm going to go up in space and see the earth from space one day! That's my goal, to do that within my lifetime. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/smile.gif

Re: SpaceShipOne made it!
 

Just an update, SpaceShipOne has made it again, and Scaled Composites now has the $10 million (US) X-Prize!

Space.com Story

Re: SpaceShipOne made it!
 

Yup, not confermed yet though. but it got up there and landed safely.
looks like it went without a hitch to.

Re: SpaceShipOne made it!
 

$210,000 is a lot of money but a lot of people will pay for it (I am absolutly sure about that) So a lot of new companies will emerge and the price will drop ( http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif wishfull thinking) enough in 10 years so that I can afford it (wishfull thinking again)

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif