[HamiltonJay]

Repeating something that has already been done cheaper and faster does not prove a thing... that is how it is TYPICALLY! Once the first person has done it and solved all the hard parts, it is much easier for the next person to come along and do it... why? Because the hard problems were solved by the people who came before.. .this is true of all systems!

Did you know that in the 1700's a man who could add columns of numbers without seperating them out and adding them 2 at a time then adding the next one to the sum and then the next was considered a genius? Today kids are doing in in grades 1 and 2!

It took computer scientists decades to create the bubble sort, yet it is now standard fair for first year students! Anyone repeating an accomplished task can do it cheaper and faster... that's how things are.. replicating an accomplishment is always less costly and achieved faster than the the original accomplishment took.

[Frank_Discussion]

I can't freply just yet, but I will tommorrow, that is if the others on the thread don't explain things to you. No, I'm not trying to be patronizing, but I certainly think you misunderstand the gravity and nature of this achievement.

Hint: It isn't technological.

Have a great evening!

[Brett66]

What's going on with these X-Prize vehicles is not a big deal in terms of bleeding-edge technical development. It's a big deal in terms of private enterprise wresting access to space away from NASA. That is a big deal, IMHO. In 20 years we'll routinely be going to and from space and it will be because of what men like Rutan,Carmack,Elon Musk, etc. are doing now. This is the beginning of the age of routine and affordable space travel.

[daviddennis]

The space shuttle was supposed to reduce the cost of space flight.

If my memory serves, it actually raised it to the point where a shuttle flight cost more and did less than our moon missions.

Reducing the cost of space flight is not a matter of dollars and cents. It's a matter of opening possibilities. As long as it costs a hundred million-odd a mission, it's going to be too expensive for anything but communications and spy satellites to make it out there.

And if you liberate it from the iron grip of government, you could see innovations comparable to those made during the golden years of the Internet.

I don't know about you, but I think that's a big deal. A VERY big deal.

D

[GeronL]

#56

In addition, this is historic because it is the first human flight ever powered by hybrid rocket technology, and SpaceDev is proud to be leading the way, by providing critical hybrid motor components and technology to Scaled.

[hopespringseternal]

replicating an accomplishment is always less costly and achieved faster than the the original accomplishment took.

Unless the government is replicating its own accomplishments. Then you have to do everything the same every time.

That is why spaceflight is not fundamentally different or cheaper than it was 40 years ago.

[RightWhale]

Repeating something that has already been done cheaper and faster does not prove a thing

Like replicating the Wright Bros first flight, except tripping over a curb and crashing in a puddle. Oh, well.