Is the future of spaceflight in private enterprise?

PunkMaister · Post by **PunkMaister** » 2005-10-09 08:19pm

After Burt Rutan's successful spaceship one's flight into orbit.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/space/10/0 ... tempt.cnn/
Do you guys think that the future of spaceflight lies on private enterprise or should it be just the government's endeavor?

We know that it was private enterprise that kickstarted modern aviation so in my humble opinion I think that private enterprise is the way to go.

But what do you think?

Solauren · Post by **Solauren** » 2005-10-09 08:47pm

Private enterprise will probably have a lot to do with getting there from a practical economic stand-point.

Companies answer to shareholders, who can cause it serious problems.

The government, by and large with stuff like that, don't. It's not like NASA is elected.

So the companies are more likely to find ways to do it cheaply. They need to. NASA by and large, does not (case in point, the Shuttle program)

Drooling Iguana · Post by **Drooling Iguana** » 2005-10-09 11:10pm

SpaceShip One never made orbit. It left the atmosphere and then came right back down.

PunkMaister · Post by **PunkMaister** » 2005-10-09 11:48pm

Drooling Iguana wrote:SpaceShip One never made orbit. It left the atmosphere and then came right back down.

Yeah I noticed that my mistake! Still is damn great acomplishment by any standards.

If it were up to any of us who would not like to have any of those fancy space fighters be it a Death glider, Prowler or TIE fighter to zip across our own solar system on a joyride?

But we don't our ION engines right now are in the stone age but at least we have begun in that area as well.
As these technologies improve and become available to private enterprise I don't doubt that true commercial spaceflight and colonization will take place.

Post by **Broomstick** » 2005-10-10 01:12am

We do have commercial spaceflight - my TV signal is beamed to my house via satellites put into orbit by a private company. There are lots of commercial space launches and stuff in orbit.

What we don't have is commercial manned spaceflight.

I think it will have to be private enterprise because the government isn't managing to progress much on that front.

Molyneux · Post by **Molyneux** » 2005-10-10 07:19am

PunkMaister wrote:
Drooling Iguana wrote:SpaceShip One never made orbit. It left the atmosphere and then came right back down.
Yeah I noticed that my mistake! Still is damn great acomplishment by any standards.

If it were up to any of us who would not like to have any of those fancy space fighters be it a Death glider, Prowler or TIE fighter to zip across our own solar system on a joyride?

But we don't our ION engines right now are in the stone age but at least we have begun in that area as well.
As these technologies improve and become available to private enterprise I don't doubt that true commercial spaceflight and colonization will take place.

We do so have ion engines! Deep Space 1 used them. They just...don't work the same as in movies, is all.

kheegster · Post by **kheegster** » 2005-10-10 12:32pm

Call me a pessimist, but commercial manned space-flight has huge commercial hurdles to overcome before we get past sub-orbital joyrides. At this point, there isn't much commercial reasons for putting humans to space. So far, all manned space-flight has been for political and scientific reasons, and someone needs to think of a commercial reason for doing so before private enterprise can take over.

Post by **Surlethe** » 2005-10-10 03:17pm

PunkMaister wrote:If it were up to any of us who would not like to have any of those fancy space fighters be it a Death glider, Prowler or TIE fighter to zip across our own solar system on a joyride?

What kind of a joyride is a multi-month journey?

But we don't our ION engines right now are in the stone age but at least we have begun in that area as well.
As these technologies improve and become available to private enterprise I don't doubt that true commercial spaceflight and colonization will take place.

The problem is manned spaceflight, for the foreseeable future, is immensely unprofitable. You launch the people to ... do what? Masturbate in orbit?

Post by **Broomstick** » 2005-10-10 07:44pm

What use is tourism of any sort?

So what if they just want to "masturbate in orbit" - if you can make a profit getting them there and back that's justification enough for a commerical enterprise. Entertainment is a HUGE segment of the economy.

aerius · Post by **aerius** » 2005-10-10 07:50pm

Surlethe wrote:The problem is manned spaceflight, for the foreseeable future, is immensely unprofitable. You launch the people to ... do what? Masturbate in orbit?

I don't know about you, but I want to have sex in space one day.

Zero · Post by **Zero** » 2005-10-10 08:12pm

Zero-G sex... I wonder how many bloody positions I could come up with...

CoyoteNature · Post by **CoyoteNature** » 2005-10-10 08:48pm

To the question I think both is a better response.

As to which would do a better job at getting us into space(by space I mean beyond Earth orbit, or Earth orbit for most people)., I think we need a new Superpower Space Race, or something equally dramatic, otherwise the lazy buggers will just let the Chinese get into space. Otherwise niether side has all that much balls for getting us into space.

PunkMaister · Post by **PunkMaister** » 2005-10-10 08:54pm

I apologize to everyone on this board for making this horrible thread...

Ma Deuce · Post by **Ma Deuce** » 2005-10-10 09:06pm

PunkMaister wrote:I apologize to everyone on this board for making this horrible thread...

No need: This is one of your better threads

.

Post by **Surlethe** » 2005-10-10 11:03pm

Broomstick wrote:What use is tourism of any sort?

So what if they just want to "masturbate in orbit" - if you can make a profit getting them there and back that's justification enough for a commerical enterprise. Entertainment is a HUGE segment of the economy.

I realize that; but there is no foreseeable demand because of the prohibitive costs.

Post by **Surlethe** » 2005-10-10 11:04pm

aerius wrote:
Surlethe wrote:The problem is manned spaceflight, for the foreseeable future, is immensely unprofitable. You launch the people to ... do what? Masturbate in orbit?
I don't know about you, but I want to have sex in space one day.

I would settle for just having sex one day.

Post by **Broomstick** » 2005-10-11 05:11am

Surlethe wrote:
Broomstick wrote:What use is tourism of any sort?

So what if they just want to "masturbate in orbit" - if you can make a profit getting them there and back that's justification enough for a commerical enterprise. Entertainment is a HUGE segment of the economy.
I realize that; but there is no foreseeable demand because of the prohibitive costs.

Yep, the cost at present is steep - but there are people with money willing to pay for it. The question is, can you get the price low enough so enough people with money will pony up for a ride? That's a gamble Richard Branson is planning to take, just for sub-orbital flights. Well, good luck to him. We'll see what happens.