A SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH of the privately owned space ship in california by ScottishBrownCoat

TALK STORY

A SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH of the privately owned space ship in california

POSTED BY: SCOTTISHBROWNCOAT
UPDATED: Thursday, July 1, 2004 12:34
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VIEWED: 8975
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Monday, June 21, 2004 5:50 AM

HELL YEAH!!!

History has been made today Browncoats, the First privately owned spaceship hit orbit and landed successfully today.

I looked at the news networks and it was mentioned a lot, you might still be able to catch mention of it on CNN or other news network.

This is a good day,
SBC

Bwahh!!!!!

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Monday, June 21, 2004 6:24 AM

BLEYDDYN

Quote:
Originally posted by ScottishBrownCoat:
History has been made today Browncoats

True, and very awesome! I got all teary eyed just watching the landing (traffic sucked and I missed the launch

). However...

Quote:
...the First privately owned spaceship hit orbit and landed successfully today.

Space Ship One did NOT reach orbit! I haven't heard confirmation of how high it did go, but they are saying it went at least 100k (62 miles) up, which is generally considered to be in 'space' and is above the point at which NASA awards astronaut status. But it came straight back down, rather than circling the Earth, which is pretty much the definition of orbit. It's probably being hammered right now, but check out the web site of the Burt Rutan's company, http://www.scaled.com, for more details later today.

--Bleyddyn

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Monday, June 21, 2004 6:36 AM

SGTGUMP

_____________________________________
"Space Ship One did NOT reach orbit!"
_____________________________________

It wasn't supposed to reach orbit! Only break the threshold of space WITHOUT any govenment aid.

Once again Capitalism is paving the way for human exploration and advancement.

With all the bad news out today, I find some hope in knowing that ordinary citizens are taking initiative and reaching for our future as a space faring people.

VOTE LIBERTARIAN

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Monday, June 21, 2004 6:37 AM

NOOCYTE

Yes, indeed, a VERY exciting thing has happened today. Burt Rutan's Space Ship One is the first completely privately funded craft ever to cross the imaginary line into space, thus taking a little bit of the space-faring mojo away from governments and aerospace conglomerates. In short, this is a victory for Independents everywhere!

You can find a lot more info at www.spaceflightnow.com (which I've set as my homepage, if that tells you anything about me!). This (Space Ship One) is one to watch, as it's the leading contender for the Ansari X-Prize, which will award a $10 million purse to the first team to launch a craft with three people (or one pilot and the mass equivalent of two passengers) into suborbital space, then turn around and do it again with the same ship in two weeks.

The implications for space tourism are profound, and, in turn, the implications for bringing economies of scale into play on launch services are huge. Once space launches become routine, the costs are thus driven down, and we will really start to see some action, the kind of adventurous, frontier, entrepreneurial spirit which will truly open up space to industry and exploration in ways which government-sponsored Programs have never been able to manage. Private enterprise (no pun intended) will always be leaner and quicker than the military-industrial beheamoth. So, no matter how far the arm of the Alliance reaches, we'll just push out a little further (hmmm...sounds familiar...).

Keep Flyin' (higher and higher)

Department of Redundancy Department

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Monday, June 21, 2004 7:09 AM

BLEYDDYN

Quote:
Originally posted by sgtgump:
_____________________________________
"Space Ship One did NOT reach orbit!"
_____________________________________

It wasn't supposed to reach orbit! Only break the threshold of space WITHOUT any govenment aid.

Sorry! Didn't mean to imply that it was supposed to reach orbit. It did exactly what it was supposed to do! Reach the edge of space and come back safely.

Burt Rutan is at least as much of a genius in his field as Joss is in his. And Mike Melville (the pilot for todays launch) has just earned the title of BDH, at least in my book.

--Bleyddyn

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Monday, June 21, 2004 7:16 AM

SCOTTISHBROWNCOAT

Ok, I misheard on tv, so it reached orbit but did not break orbit? Is that correct. Well that's somethin' in my opinion.

First steps Guys....first steps.....

Bwahh!!!!!

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Monday, June 21, 2004 7:23 AM

NOOCYTE

Actually, SS1 flew a suborbital trajectory. If you throw a rock straight up, it executes a parabolic trajectory; it goes straight up, reaches a peak, then falls straight down. This is essentially what SS1 did. It would have needed about 8 times the energy to reach orbit (that is, to gather enough speed to balance the force of gravity, and fall around the earth without hitting it -- a rough definition of orbit). Nonoetheless, this is a milestone, in that it reached what is commonly defined as the edge of space, or around 100 klicks up. Burth Rutan is shooting for orbit sometime down the road, but SS1's is a more modest (but still historic) goal...for now.

Keep flyin'!

Department of Redundancy Department

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Monday, June 21, 2004 10:59 PM

MANTICHORUS

Yep, definately a cause for celebration...
Something else that's going to be interesting is the proposed, near-future reform of NASA. What this'll mean is currently unknown, but someone (read as: one of the top brass) has made a comment about a manned flight to Mars by 2020.
But for us normal folk, the privately owned launch is more promising. While NASA, the ESA, and the other space agencies pave the way into the black, people like Burth Rutan (unusual name) will be making space travel a reality for the everyday person... with stacks of cash. I can't help but remember the amount it cost to fly Concorde(RIP), and I doubt it'll be cheaper to fly in a sub-orbital (or orbital) flyer.

--------------------------------------------------
MAL: "Well, look at this! Appears them boys at Fox have decided to cancel us. What does that make them?"
ZOE: "Big damn idiots, sir."
MAL: "Ain't they just."
--------------------------------------------------
Writing at: [url] http://www.fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=520496 [/url]

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Tuesday, June 22, 2004 1:30 AM

DRAKON

How expensive were those first China Clipper flights that Pan Am ran after Lindbergh's solo flight?

Its a step, a bit and important step, but just a step. For someone who was born between Yuri's and Alan's first flights, this is a step that I have been waiting for, for quite a while.

Burt and Paul are talking 20 to 100 grand per trip. Not within the reach of a lot of us, but if they ever put a hotel up in orbit, like at least one Japanese firm wants to do, that price should come down a fair bit.

The thing that really cheeses me off is that Mike Melvill, the pilot and humanity's news ASTRONAUT is 63 years old. I always wanted to be an astronaut, it was the thing when I was a kid. But astronauts don't wear glasses, and when I got my first pair in the fifth grade, I thought it might a lost dream.

Maybe not. I am 20 years younger than Mike, perhaps this is in my reach. Or will be before check out time.

Thanks Burt, Paul and Mike for giving this old man the sky back.

"Wash, where is my damn spaceship?"

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Tuesday, June 22, 2004 1:42 AM

RAWDEAL

With a fraction of a cost of NASA's any space project manned or not.

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Tuesday, June 22, 2004 4:06 AM

CYBERSNARK

Okay, I apparently managed to post just as the thread was being moved. Let's try this again.

This is indeed gorram shiny news. We are now one step closer to where we want to be.

*hits "post" and prays*

-----
We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

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Tuesday, June 22, 2004 6:49 AM

HERO

Two concerns:

1. Couldn't he have come up with a better name? I mean "Spaceship 1". Thats a working title. TO really sell the world he needed a something with a bit more flair. Now suppose he had named the ship after something that symbolizes what he is trying to accomplish...like "Serenity". Now that'd be something.

2. What about the pilot? I'm sure he was competent and I'm proud of what he's accomplished, but the old fellow was boring as hell. "Flew to space, weightless, came down." Now I woulda picked a pilot right outa the days of pioneering flight. Leather jacket, sunglasses, and geunine test pilot enthusiasm. In other words an honost to God BDH. Not some old guy looking to supplement his social security checks.

Other then those concerns I say nice going to the people who made it happen. 21st Century Pioneers.

H

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Tuesday, June 22, 2004 7:00 AM

EVILTOBZ

Quote:
Originally posted by Hero:
Couldn't he have come up with a better name? I mean "Spaceship 1".

all a matter of opinions these though aren't they. personally i though it was a great name. does exactly what it says on the tin.

---------------------------------------------
eviltobz - that's lowercase gorram it!

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Tuesday, June 22, 2004 7:12 AM

BLEYDDYN

Quote:
Originally posted by Hero:
2. What about the pilot? I'm sure he was competent and I'm proud of what he's accomplished, but the old fellow was boring as hell. "Flew to space, weightless, came down." Now I woulda picked a pilot right outa the days of pioneering flight. Leather jacket, sunglasses, and geunine test pilot enthusiasm. In other words an honost to God BDH. Not some old guy looking to supplement his social security checks.

H

Sorry, but I have to disagree with you there. This wasn't a publicity flight (despite all the publicity

), they are still doing test flights and 'pushing the envelope' every time they fly. What you want in a situation like that is the best test pilot you can possibly find. Given Burt Rutan's reputation I would assume that he did just that.

--Bleyddyn

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Tuesday, June 22, 2004 7:20 AM

FORRESTWOLF

Three thoughts:

1) It's really a shame that NASA can't currently get ANYONE off the ground. Shuttle fleet's grounded...really looks bad, how NASA's doing these days.

2) The deal with an older pilot is this: Right now, the only way (other than being very, very rich) to get to orbit is to be one of the absolute cream-of-the-crop astronaut corps members. Spaceship One just made it so you don't have to be an astronaut corps member to go to space. That's got to be very, very exciting to both young people looking to get into space, as well as older folks who still want to get there sometime. Brings the space business into normal peoples' lives much more, which is a great, great thing.

3) I LIKE what NASA's done in many situations. I don't want to see the Station abandoned. I don't want to see us lose sight of the big picture - whether that's human flight to Mars or more rovers (I generally come down on the human flight side of the fight, but I like both). So while private spaceflight is CRITICAL in finally solving the cost issue for getting pounds into orbit, there's still a place for group vision and dreams in America. I hope we'll use that to get ourselves somewhere incredible (onboard a Firefly-class transport would be great!).

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Tuesday, June 22, 2004 7:24 AM

EMBERS

This is exciting news!
Now we might actually have a shot of getting those flying cars sometime in the future!
LOL
technology has NOT been keeping up with traditional sci-fi assumptions of how fast we would progress (I think because corporations wanted to hold things back so they wouldn't have to change their products)...

but now I must research, can this only be done w/fossile fuels?

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Wednesday, June 23, 2004 12:47 PM

CYBERSNARK

Quote:
Originally posted by Forrestwolf:
whether that's human flight to Mars or more rovers

Huh. Rovers. Reavers.

Always just on the edge of space. . .

Where's Zoid?

-----
We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

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Friday, June 25, 2004 5:54 AM

FORRESTWOLF

Ember - Only done with fossil fuels, you say? Not sure what you mean there. Spaceship One was using nitrous oxide and a rubber-like fuel (the latter IS a fossil fuel of sorts). Or do you mean the flying cars? Those could conceivably use hydrogen, though generation of hydrogen right now would likely involve consumption of fossil fuels.

Now, if you're talking about the rocket, there ARE alternatives to rocket fuel of any kind - just not all that well developed. Failing a big breakthrough in fusion power sometime soon (which might happen - very, very hard to predict), my favorite is beamed power. Microwaves or lasers could conceivably, given enough power available on the ground (we're talking gigawatts), provide energy to a spacecraft launching into orbit. Said vehicle would use VERY little propellant - we're talking about perhaps its own weight or maybe double - though the power generation requirements on the ground would obviously require a power-plant level of power (and burn nuclear or hydrocarbon fuel).

Nevermind that gigawatt-level ground-to-space microwave power transmission, while it HAS been researched by Raytheon, has never been done. It's still a great idea!'

As for flying cars, wait for the above-mentioned fusion power breakthrough - you'd need some innovative means of fusion power generation that's compact. It's a ways away.

- Forrestwolf

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Friday, June 25, 2004 6:01 AM

JCOBB

Personally I always loved the ion engine idea.

Very small ammounts of thrust over an extended period of time to get going at incredible speeds.

I don't care, I'm still free.

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Friday, June 25, 2004 6:04 AM

NOOCYTE

As far as I can tell, one of the important linchpins here is reaching and exceeding the break-even point with nuclear fusion (that is, the point where you get more energy out of the reaction than you spend getting it started). Certain kinds of fusion produce essentially no radioactive waste (as opposed to the terminally dirty fission) and the potential for really high energy yields.

Using such fusion power, you could crack seawater for hydrogen (thus eliminating the need to use natural gas or some other fossil fuel as a source of hydrogen...and more to power that process). There's your hydrogen economy. Not altogether surprising, then, that fusion research is ridiculously under-funded (mustn't make the Oil Lobby nervous!)...

As for flying cars, check out www.moller.com. This bloke has been working toward that very goal for decades, and seems REALLY CLOSE to free-flight testing a viable prototype (tethered tests have already taken place).

Keep flyin'!

Department of Redundancy Department

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Friday, June 25, 2004 6:12 AM

FORRESTWOLF

Ion engines are great for in-space travel. This is something I work on for a living! They look really, really, cool, too - sort of like an in-space Serenity burn. They don't work for launch, though. Fusion/fission launch would use hydrogen heated by the reactor, most likely - more or less direct usage of the reaction, without conversion to electric power first.

As for low funding for fusion, regardless of the political reasons (and, by the way, both major parties have a bad track record of funding it), the funding IS low. And I don't think it has a good chance of working until the funding goes WAY up. Someone needs to fund a lot of different innovative approaches, not all-the-eggs-in-one-basket like now, and also fund the big projects sufficiently to get them to break even.

Sigh...it will happen someday - I just wish it would happen soon.

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Friday, June 25, 2004 6:38 AM

JCOBB

Quote:
Originally posted by Forrestwolf:
Ion engines are great for in-space travel. This is something I work on for a living! They look really, really, cool, too - sort of like an in-space Serenity burn. They don't work for launch, though. Fusion/fission launch would use hydrogen heated by the reactor, most likely - more or less direct usage of the reaction, without conversion to electric power first.

Yep.

I know that the idea of a mass driver won't work for human occupants, (due to the massive G forces involved) but what about using that as a system of getting the base vehicles up into space, and then for getting humans up relying on more conventional means, (or even unconventional, Arthur C. Clarke's space elevators spring to mind).

I don't care, I'm still free.

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Friday, June 25, 2004 6:44 AM

FORRESTWOLF

Mass drivers ("rail guns") are another electromagnetic-based approach - and in this case, entirely propellant-free.

Again, not enough funding spent - some very clever people at Lawrence Livermoore have worked on it, but it's just not far enough along yet.

As for space elevators, that's getting pretty far out there for now - materials just aren't advanced enough yet, and the infrastructure cost could be unbelievable until some sort of manufacturing advancement happens.

Railguns and beamed power are nearer-term, IMHO.

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Friday, June 25, 2004 6:50 AM

JCOBB

Yeah, I was lucky enough to go out to eat with Guy Gardner, and we chatted a long time about the privitization of space, (he's really big in that area). He said that there were some remarkable steps in the right direction (at least tensile strength wise) to make the space elevators more of a reality.

Anyways, great discussion, keep it up!

(Oh, what about solar sails, I don't know if that is pure science fiction or not, but I recall reading about it somewhere.)

I don't care, I'm still free.

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Friday, June 25, 2004 9:52 AM

FORRESTWOLF

I hope space elevators will work, soon - they'd completely change our society...

As for solar sails, similar problem to ion engines - not appropriate for launch. Thrust levels very, very low - great for moving stuff between planets, but not to orbit.

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Sunday, June 27, 2004 5:28 PM

JCOBB

Yep, more curious as to if they were even possible, but it sounds like you think they are, (which is excellent news to me.)

I don't care, I'm still free.

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Sunday, June 27, 2004 11:27 PM

MANTICHORUS

Quote:
Originally posted by JCobb:
Yeah, I was lucky enough to go out to eat with Guy Gardner, and we chatted a long time about the privitization of space, (he's really big in that area). He said that there were some remarkable steps in the right direction (at least tensile strength wise) to make the space elevators more of a reality.

Anyways, great discussion, keep it up!

(Oh, what about solar sails, I don't know if that is pure science fiction or not, but I recall reading about it somewhere.)

I don't care, I'm still free.

Hate to show my ignorance, but who's Guy Gardner? I'm sure there's a comic book character of that name...

--------------------------------------------------
MAL: "Well, look at this! Appears them boys at Fox have decided to cancel us. What does that make them?"
ZOE: "Big damn idiots, sir."
MAL: "Ain't they just."
--------------------------------------------------
Writing at: [url] http://www.fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=520496 [/url]

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Thursday, July 1, 2004 12:34 PM

ASAKUMA

I was just looking at the threads and wanted to comment. I don't care if it made orbit or not. I think that this is a wonderful event. Maybe space travel can happen after all.

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Thursday, July 1, 2004 12:34 PM

ASAKUMA

I was just looking at the threads and wanted to comment. I don't care if it made orbit or not. I think that this is a wonderful event. Maybe space travel can happen after all.

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