William Shatner makes it to Space

[Dirk Hofman]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

A weightless Shatner. Must be a magnificent view

source: CTVnews.

There’s a guy who could stand to be weightless for a bit!

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Rmccamey

It is an amazing accomplishment, no doubt, but I'm not calling it space flight until they can circumnavigate the globe.

Except they did in 1522 of course only 18 of a crew of 260 made it back.
Least everybody made it on this journey

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

As I understand it, the flight costs $250,000 and lasts approximately ten minutes. That would be $416.67 per second.

Bob

Can I get two seconds worth ?

[ruger9]

I'm sure Shatner did not pay for it- the PR that the program got from Captain Kirk going up is worth way more than the $250,000 ticket.

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by ruger9

I'm sure Shatner did not pay for it- the PR that the program got from Captain Kirk going up is worth way more than the $250,000 ticket.

Correct. CNN reported that Shatner was a "comped guest" so he didn't have to pay. Not only is it worth the PR, it's worth even more than having Shatner fly with the competition (Virgin Galactic).

[seannx]

While I think it’s cool that Shatner got to go, the whole billionaire “space” flight scene seems like a huge waste of time and money, especially considering that it’s purpose is space tourism, so expensive that only the ultra rich can afford it. Growing up in the 50’s and 60’s (watching the original ST in high school), we were supposed to be driving our own flying cars years ago, and routinely going to other planets. 52 years after walking on the moon, this looks more like a vanity project, funded by billionaires and tax dollars, when so much is needed right now here on earth.

[ruger9]

Originally Posted by seannx

While I think it’s cool that Shatner got to go, the whole billionaire “space” flight scene seems like a huge waste of time and money, especially considering that it’s purpose is space tourism, so expensive that only the ultra rich can afford it. Growing up in the 50’s and 60’s (watching the original ST in high school), we were supposed to be driving our own flying cars years ago, and routinely going to other planets. 52 years after walking on the moon, this looks more like a vanity project, funded by billionaires and tax dollars, when so much is needed right now here on earth.

I agree with this. I'm not "against" people spending their money however they want to- it's THEIR money- it just seems kind of silly to spend it this way (and that goes for the builders as well as the passengers) instead of on something more beneficial to the planet. And I LOVE all the "space stuff", I have since I was a kid. But even if I HAD 250K, I wouldn't be spending it on a joyride, there are many more things that could benefit so many more people.

While the space program did give us many things that changed our lives (computers, velcro, it's a long list), these "jump flights" into pre-space seem to be a step backwards to me. If it somehow leads to air TRAVEL where one could get to the other side of the world in say, an hour or two, that would be worthwhile.... but only IF regular people could actually afford it (not just richy rich people and corporations).

[Bob Womack]

Originally Posted by ruger9

IWhile the space program did give us many things that changed our lives (computers, velcro, it's a long list), these "jump flights" into pre-space seem to be a step backwards to me. If it somehow leads to air TRAVEL where one could get to the other side of the world in say, an hour or two, that would be worthwhile.... but only IF regular people could actually afford it (not just richy rich people and corporations).

I do feel that it takes the whole superman astronaut "best of the best" gestalt out of local space flight, but think about the possibilities here: if they can up their game to orbital flight, the two private flight concerns could be contracted to keep a ship on the pad as a rescue ship for the space station. Short hops for satellite maintenance and repair could be contracted as well. This is the "Mercury Program" of commercial space flight."

By the way, does anyone remember '60s SiFi TV series, Land of the Giants and its ship the Spindrift? They posited a new method for international flights that had a spaceship launched in an asynchronous vertical parabolic trajectory, basically lofting and waiting for the earth to rotate beneath the ship rather than moving horizontally across the earth's face. By such a method and adjusting the direction of the parabola they posited that they could cut New York to London to three hours. Fun!



Bob

[KevWind]

Humm perhaps we should put some perspective some of this.

The cost of cutting edge tech and travel has always been affordable only by the wealthy. Only with these initial forays of the wealthy, do these things eventually become more affordable to the average person.

Excerpt from a USA Today article

"the most basic model of an HP 3000 sold for $95,000 in 1972, the equivalent of slightly over half a million in today’s dollars. "


Or more specific to this thread compare a billionaire with 1 billion
To say someone who makes say $100,000 a year

So ......(if my math is correct ?)

$250,000 is 0.025 % of 1 billion
Where as that same equivalent spending of
0.025 % of $100,000 is $25 ,,, yet for example of spending money on quick thrills,,,, the cost of the "High Roller" rollercoaster ride in Vagas is $38 ,,,,,, So someone making $100 k is spending aprox 34% more for their quick thrill ............ like Einstein said. "It's all relative" ,,,just sayin'

[rllink]

I like all the folks saying no big deal. I mean, he only went sixty six miles up in the air at a speed of twenty three hundred miles an hour. Heck, that's nothing. Haha. Keep telling yourself that.

[rllink]

Originally Posted by KevWind

Humm perhaps we should some perspective some of this.

The cost of cutting edge tech and travel has always been affordable only by the wealthy. Only with these initial forays of the wealthy, do these things eventually become more affordable to the average person.

Excerpt from a USA Today article

"the most basic model of an HP 3000 sold for $95,000 in 1972, the equivalent of slightly over half a million in today’s dollars. "


Or more specific to this thread compare a billionaire with 1 billion
To say someone who makes say $100,000 a year

So ......(if my math is correct ?)

$250,000 is 0.025 % of 1 billion
Where as that same equivalent spending of
0.025 % of $100,000 is $25 ,,, yet for example of spending money on quick thrills,,,, the cost of the "High Roller" rollercoaster ride in Vagas is $38 ,,,,,, So someone making $100 k is spending aprox 34% more for their quick thrill ............ like Einstein said. "It's all relative" ,,,just sayin'

The cost of a ticket is about the same as the price of a new Lamborghini. I couldn't afford one, but on any given weekend there's one or two parked on the street in Venice, CA.

[fumei]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

Given that they’re only going up for a few minutes, what makes these Blue Origin flights different from the “vomit comet” rides in a standard aircraft that were used to train NASA astronauts to get them accustomed to weightlessness? That same aircraft was used extensively for filming both “Apollo 13” and “Gravity,” during the scenes where they’re out of their seats and floating around the cabin.

The flight time doesn’t appear to be any different on this Jeff Bezos production: is it different at all?

Just curious.


Wade Hampton Miller

Actually the flight time (ie the time of "weightlessness") IS different. The vomit comet is 30 seconds (40 seconds tops) and Blue Origin is 180 seconds (thereabouts). So it is not not just an altitude difference, it is a duration difference.

[robj144]

Let's not forget the first plane ticket cost $12k in today's dollars factoring in inflation for 20 minutes of flight.

You have to start somewhere.

[Dru Edwards]

Doesn't space tourism help fund the research? NASA doesn't currently have a way to get astronauts into space or to the ISS. Perhaps this is how it will be done, using private industry for NASA missions?