Virgin Galactic Branson Flight

[Car-Guy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound And if you look up, there's just a black void. There's nothing out in space. All other stars and planets are too far away. You cannot get there.

The text above that I changed to red is intended to be a joke, right?

[FIREarly]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gumby And I certainly respect Purdue. One of my best friends from law school is the general counsel there.

Thank you from Purdue Alumni. There are a lot of good schools and believe Purdue is a top contender among public schools.

[NW-Bound]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Car-Guy The text above that I changed to red is intended to be a joke, right?

Well, if you count asteroids, cosmic dust, etc..., then yes, there's something out there. Oh, and space junk too.

As I said, other suns and planets are too far away to reach. And the closer ones don't look too interesting either.

There are a lot more interesting things and places on earth, and a person does not get to see it all in his life.

PS. The vast galaxies out there are mind-boggling. However, when something is light-years away from you, going up a few hundred miles or even thousands of miles don't get you any closer to them.

By the way, the closest star to the Earth is about 4 light years away or something like 25 trillion miles.

[Car-Guy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound By the way, the closest star to the Earth is about 4 light years away or something like 25 trillion miles.

Actually the closest star to earth is about ~93 million miles away (avg) or about 8 min and 20 sec away (on avg) in light minutes.

[braumeister]

I heard about a cow that jumped over the moon once.

[UnrealizedPotential]

I have a little bit of a different take on the whole thing. I do agree that nothing big will happen in the immediate future, like in one or two years time. Yes, they are planning and will likely start taking passengers up into space starting next year. Big deal, some say. I can understand that.

But I also see where some companies are building or are planning to build very soon "space hotels". These hotels will be elite of course at first as only the super rich will be able to afford staying in them. The first one is scheduled to open in 2027. Big deal, you say and I can understand that.

But the companies and the people planning all this are thinking longer term, much longer. As spaceports get built out on Earth that will enable many more flights, that will mean more money flowing in and the costs will come down. Not in the reach of the average person, no, but it will come down. More hotels could possibly be built to accommodate the increased number of passengers that will create a snowball effect driving down prices and costs. All of this takes time of course.

But prices will come down if all of this happens. After that, who knows what will be possible or what could develop from all that. For me, that is what is interesting about all this because mining the moon, passenger travel to the moon and colonizing Mars hasn't even been mentioned yet and all that is possibly in the future. But it has to start somewhere and this is the start of perhaps something where our imaginations can wild with possibilities.

[cyber888]

Right, Branson only did 15 minutes in space. Originally, the plan was 1 hour 15 minutes. But 15 minutes is too short at 53 miles above earth.

Besoz will be doing even shorter - 11 minutes. And at 62 miles above earth.

At least 2 hour would be cool, but 11 - 15 minutes is too short.

Quote:

Originally Posted by donheff I love space stuff but this doesn't impress me at all. I could see paying to go the the Space Station or the moon. But an up and down like this? Nothing burger. Unless they were really along for the ride on a shakedown of new technology leading to more useful shuttles, etc. later this seems useless.

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by UnrealizedPotential I have a little bit of a different take on the whole thing. I do agree that nothing big will happen in the immediate future, like in one or two years time. Yes, they are planning and will likely start taking passengers up into space starting next year. Big deal, some say. I can understand that. But I also see where some companies are building or are planning to build very soon "space hotels". These hotels will be elite of course at first as only the super rich will be able to afford staying in them. The first one is scheduled to open in 2027. Big deal, you say and I can understand that. But the companies and the people planning all this are thinking longer term, much longer. As spaceports get built out on Earth that will enable many more flights, that will mean more money flowing in and the costs will come down. Not in the reach of the average person, no, but it will come down. More hotels could possibly be built to accommodate the increased number of passengers that will create a snowball effect driving down prices and costs. All of this takes time of course. But prices will come down if all of this happens. After that, who knows what will be possible or what could develop from all that. For me, that is what is interesting about all this because mining the moon, passenger travel to the moon and colonizing Mars hasn't even been mentioned yet and all that is possibly in the future. But it has to start somewhere and this is the start of perhaps something where our imaginations can wild with possibilities.

Space Odyssey 2031?

Well - I guess they were getting ready to head to Jupiter. So maybe 2051?

[CaptTom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cyber888 Right, Branson only did 15 minutes in space. Originally, the plan was 1 hour 15 minutes. But 15 minutes is too short at 53 miles above earth. Besoz will be doing even shorter - 11 minutes. And at 62 miles above earth.

The short flights are sub-orbital. To achieve orbit (stay up longer) you'd need to be going a LOT faster, and perpendicular to the Earth's surface. Not just an up and down hop. Two totally different things.

I'd take the hop, if it were within my budget. But of course a few real orbits would be much, much cooler. And sign me up for a vacation in a space hotel!

Funny how, back in the late 60's and early 70's, we thought this would all have been old hat by now. Guess I was born just a bit too soon.

I have to keep reminding myself that European settlers didn't start coming to the "New World" until around 200 years after their first well-publicized voyages here. (I'm leaving that vague enough to cover Vikings.)

I imagine it'll take that long before human "settlers" venture away from Earth. Unless we spiral into another Dark Ages, which seems very possible lately. If Branson's little stunt moves the needle on that just a little, I'm all for it.

[Car-Guy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cyber888 Right, Branson only did 15 minutes in space. Originally, the plan was 1 hour 15 minutes. But 15 minutes is too short at 53 miles above earth.

I could be wrong (often I am) but I think the 1 hour and 15 mins is what was originally planned. (Actually I think it was planned for 1hr and 30 mins, but that is pretty close) That was from when the jet powered mother ship took off until the rocket powered ship was released, then went into space and then came back to land. So total flight time was "about" 1hr and 15mins... + or -

[Car-Guy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braumeister I heard about a cow that jumped over the moon once.

Maybe you are (or someone is) drinking to much of your "brew"....

[NW-Bound]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Car-Guy Actually the closest star to earth is about ~93 million miles away (avg) or about 8 min and 20 sec away (on avg) in light minutes.

Yes, I neglected that one, which is a lot closer. But then, with this star as well as any other one, we cannot get too close, lest we burn up.

[eytonxav]

Richard is an underachiever!

[ownyourfuture]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShokWaveRider Very good, but not as cool as Musk's Boosters coming back and landing to be used again. That brought tears to my eyes.

Just watched it. Had the same effect on me!

[Chuckanut]

I had a discussion with other geeky friends a while back on whether or not the people who traveled on this flight were 'astronauts'. We finally agreed that if anybody who has ever flown as a passenger on an airplane can be called an aviator, then they can be called astronauts.

IOW, they are not astronauts.