HaloNoble6 Posted December 13, 2005 Report Share Posted December 13, 2005 Virgin Galactic, the British company created by entrepreneur Richard Branson to send tourists into space, and New Mexico announced an agreement Tuesday for the state to build a $225 million spaceport. Virgin Galactic also revealed that up to 38,000 people from 126 countries have paid a deposit for a seat on one of its manned commercial flights, including a core group of 100 "founders" who have paid the initial $200,000 cost of a flight upfront. Virgin Galactic is planning to begin flights in late 2008 or early 2009. It's going to be a great time to be an Aerospace Engineer! Article here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
softwareNerd Posted December 13, 2005 Report Share Posted December 13, 2005 The spaceport, to be located some 25 miles south of the town of Truth or Consequences... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HaloNoble6 Posted December 13, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 13, 2005 Are you delving into prophecy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
softwareNerd Posted December 13, 2005 Report Share Posted December 13, 2005 Are you delving into prophecy? No, I don't have the "calling". Seriously though, Branson seems to be just the guy to take on something audacious. Bezos (of Amazon) is planning some space-related business as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wrath Posted December 13, 2005 Report Share Posted December 13, 2005 This is amazing news. What are the odds that this will be affordable to to the middle class during our lifetime? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
punk Posted December 14, 2005 Report Share Posted December 14, 2005 It'd be more likely to be affordable to the middle class if he'd build it on the equator. I'm not sure what the cost difference would be for that latitude though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottkursk Posted December 14, 2005 Report Share Posted December 14, 2005 This is amazing news. What are the odds that this will be affordable to to the middle class during our lifetime? It took airplanes close to 30-40 years to meet that goal. Given the adoption rate of new technology ie dvd vs vcr vs 8mm films projectors, I think it could be very realistic that it would happen in our lifetime. Just like the car, people will squawk that it's the playground of the rich etc. But give it a chance and if, and that is is really big doubt, the government keeps their noses out of it all then it should take off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob.sfo Posted December 19, 2005 Report Share Posted December 19, 2005 It's going to be a great time to be an Aerospace Engineer! Too bad our government won't protect the property rights of its citizens in space. If such protection did exist, then it'd be a really great time to be an Aerospace Engineer. As it stands, the fact that private space development & exploration is essentially focused on, funded and judged by the success of tourism is ludicrous and shameful. I can't wait until I can afford a seat though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unconquered Posted December 19, 2005 Report Share Posted December 19, 2005 As it stands, the fact that private space development & exploration is essentially focused on, funded and judged by the success of tourism is ludicrous and shameful. Huh? Why is that? There is no "intrinsic greater" value of, say, mining the moon vs. having a successful earth-orbiting hotel. A practical difference is that there's an immediate, very large business waiting to be had for the orbiting hotel and related ideas, for far less money than setting up lunar mining operations. But it will all come. And by the time it does, I think Objectivist ideas will hold even more sway and ridiculous anti-private-property laws will be either ignored or changed. Let some U.N. bureaucrat try to stop the Loonies from forming their own de-facto government and police force to protect mining operations against common criminals and the like - if the U.N. even still exists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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