Commercial Space Travel

JK-47 · Post by **JK-47** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 2:04 pm

Commercial Space Travel is no longer just a want. Sever companies have developed and tested rockets that are not only low on development and gas money, but work.
In my Engineering class we watched a video of one of the best rockets. It basically looks like 2 airplanes fused together by wings, and has a long pod attached to the bottom. The plane flies it up as far as an SR 71 and lets go of the pod, then the pod rockets out of the earths atmosphere, and brings you into space.
The cool thing is, nothing is wasted. With normal rockets, the rockets on the side and front of the shuttle are dropped down to earth. But on this rocket, the plane part that carries it up is piloted by 2 pilots, and when they deploy the pod, they fly back.

Heres a picture of the rocket, ignore the pod thing on the left.

Heres a model built by a different company, its basically the same thing.

If you had the chance, would you do it? I would definatley do it, I'd give everything I own just to go into space.

*Update*

Found videos

http://www.scaled.com/projects/tierone/video.htm
(Dont click on the images to watch them, click on the "click here to view" text links in the text boxes next to the image)

Heres thier main page:
http://www.scaled.com/projects/tierone/

dos mes · Post by **dos mes** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 2:10 pm

I think I'd be scared shitless, but I'd definitely do it.

metkillerjoe · Post by **metkillerjoe** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 2:15 pm

Burt Rutan's Spaceship one!

I support that guy all the way. You did in a couple of years what it took NASA 5-10 years.

angry man · Post by **angry man** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 2:17 pm

Some newslady just spent $200,000,000 to be the first women "tourist" in space.. shes launching soon/

JK-47 · Post by **JK-47** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 2:18 pm

Angry Man wrote:Some newlady just spent $200,000,000 to be the first women "tourist" in space.. shes launching soon/

O_O That's a lot of money.

Oh this reminds me, 7up was doing a contest, whoever won got to go to space, it was a while ago, and I think they cancelled it >:/

Explosive American · Post by **Explosive American** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 2:35 pm

Video links are broken.

JK-47 · Post by **JK-47** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 2:35 pm

Don't click on the images, click on the link next to them in the text bar.

a mammoth · Post by **a mammoth** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 5:28 pm

I would want to go into space play around with things, like trying to get a paper clip to orbit a magnant would be one of the things I'd do. But at the current fatality rate I wouldn't go, i think its higher than a 1% percent.

[cc]z@nd! · Post by **[cc]z@nd!** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 5:32 pm

i'd love to go, but there's no way i could pay.

Danke · Post by **Danke** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 6:04 pm

Maybe when and if I'm an old rich guy.

gh0570fchurch · Post by **gh0570fchurch** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 7:40 am

Or when the technology becomes recognized as safe enough that ppl start going on them like they do with planes, making the prices go down.

MaestroMan · Post by **MaestroMan** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 9:56 am

gh0570fchurch wrote:Or when the technology becomes recognized as safe enough that ppl start going on them like they do with planes, making the prices go down.

Probobly wouldn't happen

considring what happened with concordes

JK-47 · Post by **JK-47** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 12:54 pm

I'm pretty sure they can make it as safe as airplane travel is, and I'm pretty sure they will considering how much money they will make with this.
I'd go, even if the risks were high that I'd die, I'd rather go out seeing something as awsome as space than just sit in a chair and start having convoultions and fall out of my chair and and slam my head on the ground and die.

Cuda · Post by **Cuda** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 1:16 pm

MaestroMan wrote:
Probobly wouldn't happen considring what happened with concordes

That was such a terrible thing. The Concorde Had the BEST safety record of all commercial jet liners and they closed that, It'd probably take the same ammount of errors to kill the idea of commercial space travel as a traveling option. seeing how precise Aeronautics are,

JK-47 · Post by **JK-47** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 1:25 pm

Cuda wrote:
MaestroMan wrote:
Probobly wouldn't happen considring what happened with concordes
That was such a terrible thing. The Concorde Had the BEST safety record of all commercial jet liners and they closed that, It'd probably take the same ammount of errors to kill the idea of commercial space travel as a traveling option. seeing how precise Aeronautics are,

What's the Concorde?

Also, it seems like they made it up and back just fine in the videos. Sure commercial space travel may be a bit rusty in the beginning and they will probably be a few accidents. But that's how it was with Aeronautics in the beginning.

Explosive American · Post by **Explosive American** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 3:50 pm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concorde

JimmyBeGood · Post by **JimmyBeGood** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 4:49 pm

if there are space tourists then soon there will be space terrorists, trying to fly there space ships into my house

angry man · Post by **angry man** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 8:59 am

^ lol thats funny because i was thinking the same thing (breifly) minus the whole flying into your house part.

Phosphorous · Post by **Phosphorous** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 10:59 am

lol, a random rocket flying into your house XP

Commercial Space Travel seems like a waste of resources IMO

JK-47 · Post by **JK-47** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 3:08 pm

Phosphorous wrote:lol, a random rocket flying into your house XP

Commercial Space Travel seems like a waste of resources IMO

Yeah your right, it wouldn't be awsome to see space and get off earth and get away from all the troubles of war and horrendous politics.
We already waste our resources on pointless stupid things, this doesn't seem like a waste. If they have to they can close Disneyland