X-Prize

Boomerang · Post by **Boomerang** » Wed May 07, 2003 8:26 pm

Intresting article. But i find something intresting about 2 of the desighn. Burt Rutan is one of the people competing for the X-prize with his company scaled composites. Well the EZ-rocket the article mentions and shows a picture of is built by another company but the aircraft fuselage that its built out of is a vurt rutan design. I'm not sure which version of the aircraft it is because there are several and all look similar. Infact one version is the type John Denver crashed in a few years ago. I just find it funny that one of the designs is based on an aircraft designed by a competitior.

ApolloXI · Post by **ApolloXI** » Thu May 13, 2004 10:15 am

On the BBC world news they have quoted Peter Diamandis as saying the x-prize will be awared this year. Read more here http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3700855.stm

Boomerang · Post by **Boomerang** » Thu May 13, 2004 4:28 pm

It was also announced today that SpaceShip 1 completed its 3rd powered flight. No detailed information yet but they said it will be posted when the data is analysed.

.: Pj :. · Post by **.: Pj :.** » Sun Jun 06, 2004 3:33 pm

The historic space launch attempt is scheduled for June 21 =>
http://www.scaled.com/projects/tierone/ ... 062104.htm

meg · Post by **meg** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 12:23 pm

is it bad of me to hope they don't make it?

this is how i feel...
there is something special about being the only country to the moon just like there is something special about nasa being the only ones from the us that fly into space (not including space adventures). to me, once people start making money off of sending people into space and it becomes more routine, then the 'specialness' of nasa and the years of training astronauts go through will mean nothing. astronauts will hear 'oh yeah, my next door neighbor just went past the international space station last week'. and somehow, to me, that just makes what the astronauts are doing less important. even though they will be using spaceflight to do experiments and further our understanding of the cosmos, flying into space will just become so nominal they won't matter.

i hope these people are living their dreams instead of just trying to find the newest way to make fast cash.

Benji · Post by **Benji** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 3:17 pm

We (as the people of Earth) have to expand our ventures into space. Commercial spaceflight is the only place to go from here.

As Heraclitus said, "nothing endures but change", Meg. This is the future.

"The future of this country and the welfare of the free world depends upon our success in space. There is no room in this country for any but a fully cooperative, urgently motivated all-out effort toward space leadership. No one person, no one company, no one government agency, has a monopoly on the competence, the missions, or the requirements for the space program.' - Lyndon B. Johnson

According to Tsiolkovsky, "the Earth is a cradle of the mind," Meg, "but we cannot live forever in a cradle." It's nice that NASA has a monopoly on this stuff, but there will be other similar conquests and revisits as we branch out from our home.

Benji · Post by **Benji** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 3:20 pm

And on a related note, this morning Mike Melvill became the first pilot to fly a non-governmental rocket ship to space.

Civilian test pilot, now turned astronaut Mike Melvill brought SpaceShipOne down to the Mojave Airport tarmac after flying to 100 kilometers (62 miles) in altitude, leaving the Earth’s atmosphere during his history-making sub-orbital space ride.

Space.com

Boomerang · Post by **Boomerang** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 4:12 pm

I have to agree with Benji on what he said. And by the way America doesn't have monopoly China ofcourse launced an astronaut last year and space adventures doesn't do the actuall launching for the russians they just sell the private tickets on the soyuz. Their program is still sun by the Russian Government. But i'm glad to see the flight succeded today its a boost for space flight after what happened last year.

Boomerang · Post by **Boomerang** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 6:16 pm

I feel the need to elaborate on why i agreed with Benji and why i think this flight was a good thing. Granted being an astronaut has always been a special thing for a select few. And i also know most people in this forum would probably like to be astronauts. But the truth is a few of you might get there but the odds are extremely against you. I hope everyone here who wants to be an astronaut can someday heck i wanted to be an astronaut since i was 4 years old but 15 years later ended up in a wheel chair. And alot of other people may end up with some reason they will never qualify as astronaut whether it be sight or physical disability but comercial space flights may still make the dream come true for people who otherwise it never will. And just to let you know just how tough it is to become an astronaut and even nce you do how hard it is to get a flight. I know you guys know the requirements most likely. Take this years class of astronauts 11 chosen originaly supose to be 25. Its also been several years since the last class. Reason for the reduction they already have too many waiting for flights. This is likely to be the last class for several mnore years unless alot retire in the near future and even then with the reduced shuttle flight schedule its unlikely they will need more for quite a while. Even before the columbia accident i met an astronaut canidate who had just finished training he was part of the class of 2000 a MS in this case he was done with basic astronaut training as well as much of his advanced training. He was eligible to be assigned to a crew he said if he was lucky at the time he would get a flight assignment in 2005 this was in 2002. Thats just the assignment not the flight and he hoped to fly in 2007. After the columbia accident last year of course all that will be pushed back. He told me members of the class of 98 were still waiting to make their first flights at the time. That gives you some idea of the backlog and lack of need of astronauts at the moment. So to me this will give people a much better chance of getting to fly in space someday because yur chances of flying for NASA arent looking too bright right now. Sorry this got way too long but thought i'd add my 2 cents. Just something to think about.

meg · Post by **meg** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 8:32 pm

i can't remember who, but some higher up at nasa said their abundance of astronauts waiting for assignments won't prevent them from naming that same amount of candidates in the years to come.

Boomerang · Post by **Boomerang** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 9:06 pm

Well i'm sure they will name astronaut classes of that size again at some point but just remember that class was half the original planned size. And they are naming classes less frequently. My point was though that most people will never get a chance to fly for NASA and the chances are getting slimmer. SO comercial space flight will allow people who dream of flying in space like me or others who cant for some reason to maybe get that chance outside of a government program.

meg · Post by **meg** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 9:10 pm

yeah, i know...

Maverick Shades · Post by **Maverick Shades** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 9:38 pm

Thought I'd give a little update on an X-Prize competitor

Today, June 21, 2004, at 9:45 AM EST, the world's first privately funded manned spacecraft embarked on her maiden extra-atmospheric flight. SpaceShipOne was carried aloft by the White Knight aircraft from which it was later dropped. The spaceplane's rocket engine was ignited and it proceeded to reach apogee at 62 nautical miles (100km). The crew experienced 3 minutes of weightlessness during the sub-orbital flight. SpaceShipOne landed a few minutes later at Mojave Airport in California to the cheers of ecstatic onlookers.

Drumrollz · Post by **Drumrollz** » Tue Jun 22, 2004 9:37 pm

there is something special about being the only country to the moon just like there is something special about nasa being the only ones from the us that fly into space (not including space adventures). to me, once people start making money off of sending people into space and it becomes more routine, then the 'specialness' of nasa and the years of training astronauts go through will mean nothing. astronauts will hear 'oh yeah, my next door neighbor just went past the international space station last week'. and somehow, to me, that just makes what the astronauts are doing less important. even though they will be using spaceflight to do experiments and further our understanding of the cosmos, flying into space will just become so nominal they won't matter.

i hope these people are living their dreams instead of just trying to find the newest way to make fast cash.

Meg, as much as I hate to say it, NASA has a very, very evil side.
For years, private companies have been willing to send private satellites up for other companies at a much lower cost than what it would cost NASA. But NASA, being government-funded, undercuts the private companies at a loss to themselves, thus creating a larger budget deficit for NASA and striking devastating blows to the prospect of commercial spaceflight.

meg · Post by **meg** » Tue Jun 22, 2004 9:47 pm

i know...

but im not looking at it from nasa's perspective. im looking at it from all the people who tried their entire lives to get into the corps and now that they've gotten in, the important things (the iss, experiments, etc.) that drove them to become an astronaut will no longer be important. we'll get hotels up there and it won't stay serious. astronauts are up their making advances in medicine that can't be made in gravity. citizens will be up there vacationing. it just bothers me. unless we get somewhere fast, before space becomes commercial, nasa won't be serious any longer.

Maverick Shades · Post by **Maverick Shades** » Tue Jun 22, 2004 10:11 pm

Allow me to say something about space commercialization:

Yesterday...the first privately funded manned spacecraft made a flight to an altitude of 62 nm. On May 5, 1961, NASA launched their first manned spacecraft on a similar flight. That puts commercial spaceflight somewhere around 43 years behind NASA. Of course, the time it takes private companies to achieve goals first reached by NASA will be much shorter because NASA has already figured everything out. All a private company has to do is copy NASA. However, that means if commercial spaceflight ever catches up to NASA, someone will have to be deriving new ways to do things. I beleive at this point NASA has the advantage because they've got the best scientists. Another important thing to think about is funding. A private company funded by a billionaire will have...lots of money to spend. NASA on the other hand could be limited by tax cuts.

In my opinion...the X-prize will spur interest in space exploration. In the long run It will create more jobs in spaceflight. However, I don't beleive commercial spaceflight will overtake NASA as the world's leader in space exploration and exploitation.

think about it
what's the best aviation agency in the world?
Delta Airlines or The United States Air Force?

???????
tell me what you think
????????

Drumrollz · Post by **Drumrollz** » Wed Jun 23, 2004 11:13 pm

Meg, the point is, once commercial spaceflight is serious, NASA won't concentrate on monopolizing/protecting space anymore. They'll be able to totally focus all of their funds on new breakthroughs in every level of space science.

Maverick Shades · Post by **Maverick Shades** » Fri Jun 25, 2004 2:37 pm

Exactly. A private company's goal is to make money off of spaceflight. Commercial spaceflight will be interested in deploying payloads, ferrying passengers, and perhaps in the future mining on mars. They won't be up there to explore space or do experiments. This may actually benefit NASA as they will no longer have to deploy commsats or other private infrastructure. With a private space industry, NASA will be able to focus on exploration.

Drumrollz · Post by **Drumrollz** » Wed Sep 29, 2004 4:15 pm

Mumble mumble SpaceShipOne halfway there mumble mumble.

(This post doesn't exist)

Mdanner423 · Post by **Mdanner423** » Wed Sep 29, 2004 4:23 pm

I am dying to go to the x-prize cup in New Mexico, summer of 06.

X-Prize

This Year

SpaceShipOne

Commercialization