First commercial orbiting spacecraft

[papa_smurf]

How old are you...6 months?

Cheeky monkey (i'm 29 btw)

[TarJak]

Meh, I'm waiting for the announcement of the building of the 1st space elevator. Then we don't need your stinking rockets.

[razark]

Originally Posted by TarJak

Meh, I'm waiting for the announcement of the building of the 1st space elevator. Then we don't need your stinking rockets.

The elevator gets you in orbit. To go anywhere else, you still need the rockets.

[TarJak]

True, but IIRC this thing was only about getting into orbit. Not going anywhere else.

[TLAM Strike]

Originally Posted by TarJak

True, but IIRC this thing was only about getting into orbit. Not going anywhere else.

Once your are in orbit you are halfway to anywhere.

[razark]

Originally Posted by TarJak

True, but IIRC this thing was only about getting into orbit. Not going anywhere else.

Getting into orbit is what we've been doing for years. Since 1972.

It's time to do something different.

[SteamWake]

Originally Posted by razark

Getting into orbit is what we've been doing for years. Since 1972.

It's time to do something different.

A private enterprise has never put a manned spacecraft into orbit.

That would be different.

[Platapus]

Originally Posted by SteamWake

A private enterprise has never put a manned spacecraft into orbit.

That would be different.

In Project Mercury, it took the United States 20 unmanned test flights (starting with Little Joe 1) before we dared to put a man in the can.

I think Space X will do it in less than that.

[razark]

Originally Posted by SteamWake

A private enterprise has never put a manned spacecraft into orbit.

That would be different.

So, private industry has demonstrated that it can do what was done 50 years ago? Indeed. The pace of progress staggers the mind.

Originally Posted by TLAM Strike

But Space X has 50 years of NASA and Soviet tech/experience to learn from...

SpaceX (and the rest of the private industry) has a large number of people who used to work for the government, either directly, or as contractors; they also have access to a much broader knowledge base, built almost exclusively by that same government program. But they aren't doing anything that wasn't done a long time ago. They may do it cheaper and better, but they're still doing what we've been doing for 50 years, and it's the same thing we've been doing exclusively for 38 years. The only reason they can do it cheaper and better is because they already know how to do it.

Imagine if Columbus, under a government contract to Spain, sailed to a Caribbean island. And all the governments of Europe kept sending people to the same Caribbean island. Suddenly, some upstart private enterprise manages to fund and undertake their own voyage, and goes to the exact same island. Not exactly what I call doing something new. It's the same thing with space. We keep doing the same thing over and over again, and it's not really getting us anywhere.