Billionaires in Space

[George K]

@horace said in Billionaires in Space:

the rocket

Actually the "rocket" is being housed up into the air on an airplane, from which It'll be dropped and then its motors will ignite.

But, your point stands, LOL.

[Copper]

cnn is showing the plane taxiing for takeoff

Virgin galactic is showing nothing

[George K]

I really don't understand the mission of Virgin Galactic, or for that matter Bert Rutan's vision using a craft like this.

Is it purely for "space" tourism, or is there something else they want to do?

I recently posted a story about another company that's launching small satellites from a 747. That seems an economical approach.

But afaik, Virgin has no such plans.

[Copper]

I have to choose between Colbert and de Grasse Tyson

This is awful

I can't stand it

[George K]

@copper

Link to video

[Jolly]

Dale Brown was writing about plane-launched near-Earth satellites in the 1980's...

[Copper]

@george-k said in Billionaires in Space:

purely for "space" tourism

Yes, I think so

When they announced this it was cool

Now, he has a second string space ship company

[George K]

The talking heads are making a big deal about "50K feet is the definition of 'space' by the FAA and NASA."

Meh.

$250K for 3 minutes of weightlessness and some nice views.

Meh, again.

Edit to correct: not 50K feet, but 50 miles.

[Copper]

The air needed to fly an airplane runs out around 100K feet.

50 miles = about 250K feet

Calling space 50 statute miles is OK with me. That was the limit for a long time.

[George K]

The paint on the back of the craft:

The back of The Razorback in The Expanse:

[George K]

@copper said in Billionaires in Space:

50 miles = about 250K feet

Duh, yeah. What was I thinking?

[Doctor Phibes]

You're all pissed off because the first d-bag in space isn't an American?

Once again, the British have excelled at being really freaking annoying! It's what we do, baby.

[Copper]

It was driven by a Scot.

[Doctor Phibes]

@copper said in Billionaires in Space:

It was driven by a Scot.

So, not British, then?

[Copper]

You might have to ask him.

[Loki]

In history those with the the wherewithal and body type made names for themselves in their quest for immortality exploring the Amazon, the Artic, Mount Everest, the island of King Kong (lol). I’m sure others have come up with the better terms for the type person interested in conquering parts of earth that were available for fame and too scary for the average person.

Even the notion of being in Space isn’t new:

Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no man has gone before!

Seems like this is more of the same.

[George K]

https://www.change.org/p/the-proletariat-do-not-allow-jeff-bezos-to-return-to-earth

[Horace]

@loki said in Billionaires in Space:

In history those with the the wherewithal and body type made names for themselves in their quest for immortality exploring the Amazon, the Artic, Mount Everest, the island of King Kong (lol). I’m sure others have come up with the better terms for the type person interested in conquering parts of earth that were available for fame and too scary for the average person.

These billionaires can each claim to have done spectacular things with their lives, but as far as them going to space goes, that is more along the lines of upper middle class douche bags paying $50k to have Sherpas pull them up Everest.

[Horace]

@george-k said in Billionaires in Space:

https://www.change.org/p/the-proletariat-do-not-allow-jeff-bezos-to-return-to-earth

I wonder how much actuarial risk Bezos' space flight imposes on AMZN stock.

[Doctor Phibes]

@horace said in Billionaires in Space:

@loki said in Billionaires in Space:

In history those with the the wherewithal and body type made names for themselves in their quest for immortality exploring the Amazon, the Artic, Mount Everest, the island of King Kong (lol). I’m sure others have come up with the better terms for the type person interested in conquering parts of earth that were available for fame and too scary for the average person.

These billionaires can each claim to have done spectacular things with their lives, but as far as them going to space goes, that is more along the lines of upper middle class douche bags paying $50k to have Sherpas pull them up Everest.

I'd say that Branson's ballooning exploits were considerably more impressive (and dangerous) than his space visit.