Re: Branson does it again: commercial spaceship

[NW_PILOT]

"Martin Hotze" > wrote in message
...
> http://www.virgingalactic.com/
>
> ---snip
> By the end of the decade, Virgin Galactic LLC - the most exciting
development in
> the story of modern space history - is planning to make it possible for
almost
> anyone to visit the final frontier at an affordable price.
> ---snap
>
> When Branson does it then one can believe it will become reality.
>
>
> #m
> --
> The more one is absorbed in fighting Evil,
> the less one is tempted to place the Good
> in question. (J.P. Sartre)

SCAM

[C Kingsbury]

"NW_PILOT" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> SCAM
>

Geez, give the guy a chance, why don't you! Branson is a reputable
businessman, not some trunk job incorporated under an assumed name in the
Bahamas. At least wait until they publish a contract of carriage and start
selling tickets to call BS on it.

Besides, it's not like this is a Bad Thing for aviation.

-cwk.

[Shiver Me Timbers]

> C Kingsbury > wrote:

> Geez, give the guy a chance, why don't you! Branson is a reputable
> businessman,

You will notice that in the TV interviews he is holding the Burt Rutan
spaceship and white knight in his hand.

So obviously Burt has to be involved somehow and yet there wasn't
a mention or a whiff about that angle. And what about what's his
name the guy from Microsoft who put up the money for Burt's project.

[G.R. Patterson III]

Shiver Me Timbers wrote:
>
> You will notice that in the TV interviews he is holding the Burt Rutan
> spaceship and white knight in his hand.
>
> So obviously Burt has to be involved somehow and yet there wasn't
> a mention or a whiff about that angle. And what about what's his
> name the guy from Microsoft who put up the money for Burt's project.

If he's planning on buying this equipment from Scaled Composites, he wouldn't
necessarily mention Burt Rutan or Paul Allen. He also may be targeting his spiel to
customers who don't know or care who Rutan is.

George Patterson
If a man gets into a fight 3,000 miles away from home, he *had* to have
been looking for it.

[gerrcoin]

Shiver Me Timbers wrote:
>>C Kingsbury > wrote:
>
>
>
>>Geez, give the guy a chance, why don't you! Branson is a reputable
>>businessman,
>
>
> You will notice that in the TV interviews he is holding the Burt Rutan
> spaceship and white knight in his hand.
>
> So obviously Burt has to be involved somehow and yet there wasn't
> a mention or a whiff about that angle. And what about what's his
> name the guy from Microsoft who put up the money for Burt's project.

Caught the segment on the news yesterday. Interestingly they used cgi
animation of Spaceship 1 and White Knight to illustrate the concept. I
imagine that this is the result of some journalists jumping to
conclusions, but is there any realistic commercial alternative. Also
he timed this pretty well. With the X prize attempts coming up shortly
it will achieve maximum publicity for Branson.

[C Kingsbury]

"Shiver Me Timbers" > wrote in message
...
> > C Kingsbury > wrote:
>
> > Geez, give the guy a chance, why don't you! Branson is a reputable
> > businessman,
>
> You will notice that in the TV interviews he is holding the Burt Rutan
> spaceship and white knight in his hand.
>
> So obviously Burt has to be involved somehow and yet there wasn't
> a mention or a whiff about that angle. And what about what's his
> name the guy from Microsoft who put up the money for Burt's project.

Good enough for ya?

http://www.scaled.com/projects/tierone/092704_scaled_paul_allen_virgin_galac
tic.htm

-cwk.

[Dennis Webb]

gerrcoin > wrote in message >...
> Shiver Me Timbers wrote:
> >>C Kingsbury > wrote:
> >
> >
> >
> >>Geez, give the guy a chance, why don't you! Branson is a reputable
> >>businessman,
> >
> >
> > You will notice that in the TV interviews he is holding the Burt Rutan
> > spaceship and white knight in his hand.
> >
> > So obviously Burt has to be involved somehow and yet there wasn't
> > a mention or a whiff about that angle. And what about what's his
> > name the guy from Microsoft who put up the money for Burt's project.
>
> Caught the segment on the news yesterday. Interestingly they used cgi
> animation of Spaceship 1 and White Knight to illustrate the concept. I
> imagine that this is the result of some journalists jumping to
> conclusions, but is there any realistic commercial alternative. Also
> he timed this pretty well. With the X prize attempts coming up shortly
> it will achieve maximum publicity for Branson.

Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites website has additional details
concerning the venture:
http://www.scaled.com/projects/tierone/092704_scaled_paul_allen_virgin_galactic.htm

[mike regish]

No scam. But I wouldn't call $200k + exactly affordable.

mike regish

"NW_PILOT" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Martin Hotze" > wrote in message
> ...
>> http://www.virgingalactic.com/
>>
>> ---snip
>> By the end of the decade, Virgin Galactic LLC - the most exciting
> development in
>> the story of modern space history - is planning to make it possible for
> almost
>> anyone to visit the final frontier at an affordable price.
>> ---snap
>>
>> When Branson does it then one can believe it will become reality.
>>
>>
>> #m
>> --
>> The more one is absorbed in fighting Evil,
>> the less one is tempted to place the Good
>> in question. (J.P. Sartre)
>
> SCAM
>
>

[mike regish]

There was ana rticle in today's local paper about this. I guess he's bought
into Burt's project with the intention of investing in future space flights
for the common man.

mike regish

"Shiver Me Timbers" > wrote in message
...
>> C Kingsbury > wrote:
>
>> Geez, give the guy a chance, why don't you! Branson is a reputable
>> businessman,
>
> You will notice that in the TV interviews he is holding the Burt Rutan
> spaceship and white knight in his hand.
>
> So obviously Burt has to be involved somehow and yet there wasn't
> a mention or a whiff about that angle. And what about what's his
> name the guy from Microsoft who put up the money for Burt's project.

[Montblack]

("mike regish" wrote)
> No scam. But I wouldn't call $200k + exactly affordable.


That's for what, 3 minutes in space?

The Russian space tourist flights, at 10-20 million, where they send you
into orbit for a week or so, and then maybe get you back down again
(sometime) sound like the better bargain.


Montblack

[Robert Briggs]

Shiver Me Timbers wrote:
> C Kingsbury wrote:
>
> > Give the guy a chance, why don't you! Branson is a reputable
> > businessman,
>
> You will notice that in the TV interviews he is holding the Burt
> Rutan spaceship and white knight in his hand.
>
> So obviously Burt has to be involved somehow and yet there wasn't
> a mention or a whiff about that angle.

Burt and the X-Prize were both mentioned in the initial BBC report
I saw of this. They are also mentioned in Auntie's web coverage:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/sci/tech/3693020.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/sci/tech/3693518.stm

Here is the end of the latter report:

"Airlines need to follow regulations and standards, and
there is no reason why this should not be applied to space
travel as well," says Mr Lenorovitz.

"For me, [this venture] is the next logical step to get the
engineers, the diners and the dreamers together with someone
who knows how to market transportation for various classes
of people.

"It's a step towards taking access to space out of the hands
of the chosen few."

I particularly like that bit in the penultimate paragraph which
conjures up visions of portly port-swillers squeezing into such
craft. :-)

[Robert Briggs]

Montblack wrote:
> mike regish wrote:
>
> > No scam. But I wouldn't call $200k + exactly affordable.
>
> That's for what, 3 minutes in space?
>
> The Russian space tourist flights, at 10-20 million, where they
> send you into orbit for a week or so, and then maybe get you back
> down again (sometime) sound like the better bargain.

The Russian option may very well be the better bargain for the Duke
of Westminster, but there are plenty of folk who couldn't come up
with anything like that sum who *could* rustle up Branson's hundred
(UK) grand - heck, I reckon *I* could do that by cashing in some
investments and remortgaging my house.