[Urb]

NASA launches probes to scout the moon

Not that anything really interresting happens before october, but it is nice for those of us too young to have lived through the cold war space race to see some real space exploration on the horizon. And they better send some people to Mars before I die of old age, or else I am going to write them a very angry letter.

[Aptorian]

They should just make space exploration free for the corporate sector, then you'd see a space race that would make the Cold War look like nothing.

I hope Japan and China get going soon, a couple of years they were talking about a race between asia and the US to be the first to get a lunar base on the Moon which would act as a staging area for the mars missions.

[Ain't_It_Just_]

Interesting...but I doubt they'll find anything particularly intriguing up there.

[Urb]

Aptorian, on Jun 19 2009, 09:29 AM, said:

They should just make space exploration free for the corporate sector, then you'd see a space race that would make the Cold War look like nothing..

Is there some international agreement against it? Or do you mean in the US/Europe specifically?
Part of me sees the negative implications of such a thing, but I probably wouldn't care much if they did do that.

If some rich crazy person was alowed to colonize and take Mars for himself that would be quite fun actually.

[Satan]

Aptorian, on Jun 19 2009, 09:29 AM, said:

They should just make space exploration free for the corporate sector, then you'd see a space race that would make the Cold War look like nothing.

I hope Japan and China get going soon, a couple of years they were talking about a race between asia and the US to be the first to get a lunar base on the Moon which would act as a staging area for the mars missions.

http://space.xprize.org/ansari-x-prize

[Adjutant Stormy~]

As Bryn put, it is open to corporate interests. There's some debate on the sovereignty of places outside the atmosphere, however. But that's not what's stopping them.

It's just absurdly expensive. We're talking several thousand dollars per pound, just to get into orbit. And several times more to get out of orbit with any velocity. Believe me, corporations are always out for a buck, but that's a lot A single launch (which, in early development, has a considerable chance of failure) can cost millions. And that's a big financial risk.

(Launch Costs Reference)

[cerveza_fiesta]

Ain't_It_Just_, on Jun 19 2009, 04:37 AM, said:

Interesting...but I doubt they'll find anything particularly intriguing up there.

except for an entire planet full of untouched raw material.

I would really like to see somebody attempt one of the "getting stuff into orbit cheaply" ideas. It would just be too rad if somebody built the space slingshot for instance.

The space elevator is still a ways off of course, but I was reading about some of the other ideas and some of them look pretty legit and would potentially slice that $$ per pound figure down to a fraction of what it is for rocket launches.

[Assail]

You hear that there's evidence there was a lake on Mars? It's not the moon, but atleast we know it could sustain life at some point.

[Urb]

cerveza_fiesta, on Jun 23 2009, 04:52 PM, said:

The space elevator is still a ways off of course, but I was reading about some of the other ideas and some of them look pretty legit and would potentially slice that $$ per pound figure down to a fraction of what it is for rocket launches.

Did you read about them on the internet?
Any good links you would like to share?

Everyone is interested

[Ain't_It_Just_]

cerveza_fiesta, on Jun 24 2009, 12:52 AM, said:

Ain't_It_Just_, on Jun 19 2009, 04:37 AM, said:

Interesting...but I doubt they'll find anything particularly intriguing up there.

except for an entire planet full of untouched raw material.

I would really like to see somebody attempt one of the "getting stuff into orbit cheaply" ideas. It would just be too rad if somebody built the space slingshot for instance.

The space elevator is still a ways off of course, but I was reading about some of the other ideas and some of them look pretty legit and would potentially slice that $$ per pound figure down to a fraction of what it is for rocket launches.

True....but the need isn't desperate yet. But later on yeah?

I can't wait until we go to Mars-there's definitely ice there, and all the attendant possibilities.

-AIJ, hopes to find little taste-changing organisms...

[HoosierDaddy]

I am all for space exploration. The only problem is that the U.S. just spent roughly 3 trillion dollars in the past 9 months attempting to buy itself out of death, with another possible 1 trillion coming for health care costs. Most people will probably bitch about spending money on return trips to the Moon and a first time trip to Mars, but it is necessary, I think to begin a ramped up reintroduction to advancing space programs.

[Urb]

www.virgingalactic.com

First commercial spaceflight not far away (2011 if I remember corectly). I heard on the news that they will set up base in Sweden of all places, though I might be mistaken.

This post has been edited by Urb: 10 December 2009 - 06:45 AM

[Tsundoku]

Urb, on 10 December 2009 - 06:44 AM, said:

www.virgingalactic.com

First commercial spaceflight not far away (2011 if I remember corectly). I heard on the news that they will set up base in Sweden of all places, though I might be mistaken.

It's all the nudity in Scandinavia - makes the atmosphere quite ... liberating.

[HoosierDaddy]

Add that to the list of things I need to do before I die. Or, cause my death. If I died going into space and back I'd be fine with that.

[Urb]

I am seriously considering taking up a loan just for this.
Will need a few years to build up credit first though.

[Ain't_It_Just_]

I would like to go but I'm bad enough with airplanes so...

[rhulad]

I think I'll hold off until the price comes down a little bit. Until then I will continue traveling in planes (non space invading planes) trains and automobiles.

[Abyss]

Sombra, on 10 December 2009 - 06:57 AM, said:

...It's all the nudity in Scandinavia - makes the atmosphere quite ... liberating.

I hear zero g is very flattering on the human body.

Leave it to Branson to kickstart the commercial space race as yet another way to make it easier for him to get laid.

- Abyss, out of this world.

[Cold Iron]

Bah - there's been plenty of conflicting media reports, but the virgingalactic website only claims a climb to 50,000 feet - you've been able to go higher than that in a mig for years, for almost a 10th of the price!!

ETA: No wait, that's where the rocket launches from. Which is "expected" to reach 110km according to wikipedia, but the virgingalactic website suspiciously makes no claims.

I'd like to find out how high they are really going when they start.

This post has been edited by Cold Iron: 10 December 2009 - 09:10 PM

[Ribald]

Could you imagine how insane you would go from the music in the space elevator... I mean I like The Girl from Ipanema as much as the next guy... but yikes. Also there is the question of everyone piling in then some arsehole letting one rip just as the doors closed...
But apart from that I am all for the space elevator.