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What do you think will be the positive effects of new commercial launch enterprises particularly those involving reusable vehicles? I think that in fifteen to twenty years we will begin to see even cheaper wireless communications as the cost of launch falls. New technologies developed for space lauch might finally provide a catalyst for a hypersonic transport maybe in thirty years or so. Commecial space enterprise will allow for cheaper flights for government science/aerospace agencies perhaps allowing for more scientific discovery. NASA has already issued a request for bids to privately resupply ISS. What are your opinions?
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The major problem rite now I think is the price, I know its very expensive to launch something into space. But unlees they find a cheaper way, only the rich will be travelling this way. -
That's why I think private enterprise will drive the costs down as they traditionally can do things for less than the government(s). Private enterprise has a much more restricted budget so strives to develop cheaper technologies either as a variation of conventional technology or implementing new technologies.Originally posted by YYZPICSComment
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As far as I know, commercial operators who talk about space tourism are really only referring to sub-orbital flights. When they say you will experience weightlessness for x minutes it's basically because you'd be in a free fall back to earth. Reaching the speeds needed to get into orbit is a whole different ball-game and I haven't heard about any radically new technologies in this field which will bring significant reductions in the cost of orbital launches. I don't see the private sector designing and building its own shuttle replacement ... unless a government pays for it.
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yeah, that remends me, does Virgin Galatic plan on getting into outer space, or just going sub-orbutal?Originally posted by kukkudrillComment
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Right now suborbital, but several concepts have been proposed for SSTO (single stage to orbit) concepts orginating from the private sector most notable the new proposal from the Canadian company that is developing the suborbital Canadian Arrow. As far as the cost, due to the profit factor, it will go down. The main prfot sectors are or will be: satellites, government contracts (ex Nasa's bid request for private ISS resupply), space tourism, space resources (such as solar power).Originally posted by kukkudrill
@Chris@YYZ
Virgin is suborbital, but is defintely in space. For the intents of the spacefilght, anything above 100km is outerspace. It is not orbit obivously.Comment
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Sub-orbital. See this:Originally posted by Chris@YYZ
Any info about this on the net?Originally posted by scramjet
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ahhhh, alrightOriginally posted by scramjetComment
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Aren't you technically in outer space when you leave Earth's atmosphere? Even if you are in orbit or notOriginally posted by scramjetComment
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Here is a press release from the company. If you ask me, I doubt it will ever fly, but its these small visionarty organizations that really get things off the ground (think the airlines in the United States in the 1920s) so you never know.Originally posted by kukkudrill
http://www.planetspace.org/pdf/PressRelease121505.pdf
Yes, however you are still within the earth's magnetosphere until a certain altitude which I can't quite remember. This has no affect on flight dynamic once you are out of the actual atmosphere as there is very little gas. The magnetosphere does provide a convient excuse for not providing radiation shielding on these new tourist spacecraftOriginally posted by Mungous
. The Van Allen Radiation Belts can be a concern, but these are very high nowheres where these first private suborbital craft will/are be flying even the eventual first private LEO (Low Eart Orbit) craft.
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