Look Ma, No Pilot!

Fox News ^ | May 9, 2002 | Rand Simberg

[NonZeroSum]

The generals always fight the last war, and NASA managers always design to the last disaster.

They're proposing (as was the case with the ill-fated X-33 VentureStar program) that the new launch system be designed to be flown unpiloted, and have a separate, separable crew module when it has to carry people.

[NonZeroSum]

More unconventional space wisdom.

[El Sordo]

Ping.

[shadowman99]

The X-Prize is the one to watch. When civilians start launching themselves into space, watch how quickly the hammer drops on that technology.

"We can let the terrorists have access to space travel" they will say.

[NonZeroSum]

Ping

[RightWhale]

A couple of years ago there were something like 40 commercial satellites launched. This year it is down to about 25. In a couple more years it will be about 15. The market is becoming satiated, and the launch industry is coming on tough times. There is no shortage of launchers. But 2 paying tourists have gone into orbit and 2 more are in the pipeline. In a few years that industry is expected to increase dramatically.

[El Sordo]

It makes me wish I could get in on it, but I doubt there's any Space Tech companies in Portland, OR.

[Brett66]

Tourism is the only market that could expand dramatically in the next few years. It just isn't NASA's game, they're irrelevant. All they care about are dead-end boondoggles. The only thing NASA may have done right (accidently) is free up the restrictions for tourists on the space station. This could be the primary utility for the ISS when all is said and done.

[RightWhale]

Boeing is beginning to corner the space launch market. Get involved in the real deal. BA stock is still available.

[El Sordo]

Stock, shmock. I want to build the stuff.

[greasepaint]

The X-15 was a long way from achieving orbital velocity. It went to a fairly high altitude,
but nowhere near fast enough. If the X-15 program was continued, and eventually made it into orbit,
the X-15 would have changed into something comparable to what we have now.

The shuttle is only useful for two things, fixing the Hubble-Telescope
and building the International Space Station.. Of course, the ISS is a total waste, but that is another story.

The reality is: It is hugely difficult to get anything up to orbital velocity. The cost of putting repairmen
into space should be compared to launching ten things of whatever needs to be fixed. (more frequent use
of an expendable rocket would lower its per-unit cost)

Putting the human soap opera into space, a 90% waste of money, is the price the taxpayers bear
in order to have any space program at all.

g.

[RightWhale]

So start a business. It's a free country [to a degree, for now.] Nobody is stopping anybody. Build rockets. Need money? Allen E. Parson said the only way to gain personal wealth is to go public. IPO, sell stock. Anybody can do it; it takes 3 to incorporate and $50. That's how it is done.

[Brett66]

Boeing is beginning to corner the space launch market.

Once their Delta IV launches it will be be a formidable competitor to the Ariane as will the Atlas V. Unfortunately it seems to be competing for a diminishing market. Space tourism is the last best hope for the launcher industry.

[RightWhale]

Sure, but many lessons about keeping the crew alive and functional in the enviroment are being learned. It's not a complete loss even though nobody is going anywhere and nothing permenent is being built. The ISS will have exceeded its design lifetime before it is completed and then start over. They could be doing a lot better, though.

[NonZeroSum]

The X-15 was a long way from achieving orbital velocity. It went to a fairly high altitude, but nowhere near fast enough. If the X-15 program was continued, and eventually made it into orbit, the X-15 would have changed into something comparable to what we have now.

No, it would have had a completely different design philosophy, and be much smaller, and much more reliable.

The reality is: It is hugely difficult to get anything up to orbital velocity.

But not nearly as difficult as NASA makes it out to be. What's difficult is raising the money to do it intelligently.

[RightWhale]

Just for you:

Maverick Rocketeers Pursue Cheap Space Access

[anymouse]

Another SAS conference article with pictures of privately financed and built flight test hardware!

Space Access Society 2002 - Review