Personally, I think I'm going to agree with Tulsi on this one...

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Originally posted by pedropcola:
I actually think the Wright brother’s flight is a bad analogy. Flight was game changing. Space flight for commercial paying customers isn’t game changing. At all. Where are you going to go? Lift capability on the cheap is game changing. Commercial selfie flights or just private space flight changes nothing for anyone no matter how good and safe it gets. At best it’s a thrill ride for the Uber rich and a great meme event when one eventually comes back down in flames.

Flying astronauts to a space station, ok. Flying people for a thrill, not so much. If flying had stagnated at barn storming flights nobody would care anymore. There has to be a viable use for a space plane.

Next we are going to hear how manned colonies in space are the next big thing. Doubtful is an understatement.

Maybe you’re right. However, you have the benefit of 20:20 hindsight with respect to Wilbur and Orville’s efforts. How many folks do you think said similar things about their efforts?

Who knows what is going to come out of what is currently a thrill ride for folks with too much money burning a hole in their pocket? Maybe absolutely nothing useful, maybe something(s) really useful. Time will tell.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:

Is that an Omega 'moon watch' I see there, cunningly displayed so that everybody can see it?

Bet it's a freebie from Omega.

I had to pay for mine.

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Originally posted by parabellum:

quote:

Originally posted by ArtieS:

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
Roger Ramjet ...

Oh man! I loved that show. A friend and I turned it into a drinking game!

Nothing personal, Artie, but I don't think six year old kids should be drinking. Better to start at a reasonable like the rest of us, say, 11 or 12.

As for the jackass riding into space on his checkbook, well, he returned safely to Earth, so the mission is an utter failure. Those guys had their chance. They could have left Bebos in the cold, dark vacuum of space. We went over this- during training, locate and learn the proper use of the Eject button. You had one job.

Much like "dear leaders" brain surgeons. Difficult to know if they did their "one job"

quote:

Originally posted by tacfoley:


Is that an Omega 'moon watch' I see there, cunningly displayed so that everybody can see it?

Bet it's a freebie from Omega.

I had to pay for mine.

It does seem to be. Of course, Bezos doesn't need a freebie from Omega. Maybe he just wanted to be more Astronaut-like in his costume, even down to wearing it outside of his "spacesuit." Hard to know.

I agree with the hindsight comment. Can’t argue about that. If I had a bunch of money to invest though it would be on the lift side of the house, not the space plane side. I would bet my own money on that.

Space is very limiting in realistic terms. Satellites and the capability they bring to the table for info, comm, everything is off the charts. When people start talking about traveling the cosmos though I start mentally rereading every popular mechanics cover article from last century.

I love exploration and science. If you held a gun to my head though and had to decide if the majority of trillions spent on “space” was well spent the answer is easily no. The common argument is the technology and practical knowledge gained from the moon missions. Reality is though it was a lot of money for minimal gain. Going to the moon was an expensive way to learn how to work n near earth orbit.

Missions to Mars and beyond are fascinating. They also contribute nothing to actual life on the planet. Just like the Mona Lisa.

No one alive on this planet today is going to colonize any other planet in any meaningful way. We might have a “colony” somewhere to prove it can be done but why? Hundreds of billions of dollars to show you can live artificially on a planet where life isn’t sustainable without billions of dollars being thrown at the problem.

Literally we would get more concrete benefit from exploring our deepest oceans than space. Nothing in space is useable or feasible. Yes, I’m making a statement that I can’t prove. Yes if you go faster than a horse you might catch fire. Lol. Space is a money pit once you leave our actual orbit. Nothing out there will ever pay dividends realistically.

Listening to the breathless commentary during the flight was disgusting. You'd think two other companies hadn't already reached space--and delivered astronauts and supplies to the ISS--twice----before Blue Origin.

quote:

Originally posted by pedropcola:

Nothing in space is useable or feasible. Yes, I’m making a statement that I can’t prove. Yes if you go faster than a horse you might catch fire. Lol. Space is a money pit once you leave our actual orbit. Nothing out there will ever pay dividends realistically.

I agree with most of your statements. I also agree that humanity will never truly 'colonize' planets or moons. Sure, we might have a scientific research post (like the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station), but they will be (IMO) utterly dependent upon re-supply mission from Earth (just like Amundsen-Scott; which has a SMALL hydroponics bay to grow some fresh vegetables, but is not at all self-sustaining) and won't grow into 'new lands' like, for example, the early colonies in North America in the 1600-1700s. I love space and sci-fi, but I don't believe humans will ever 'spread out amongst the stars' like most sci-fi shows indicate.

And, yes, to go along with your horse example, people also thought humans would die of asphyxiation if they traveled on a train faster than 45 mph. Meaning, we can't really effectively speculate about things so far in the future.

Now, as far as the 'commercialization' of space, there are some promising ideas. One involves mining asteroids; the other mining Helium-3 from the surface of the moon. Only time will tell if technology advances enough to make such enterprises feasible. Even if we could just stroll across the moon today and pick up refined chunks of solid gold and diamonds, it would still not be economically feasible to return them to Earth and still make a profit. Now, who knows what the next 100 years will bring. . .

Preposterous (no value in going). My goodness.

quote:

Originally posted by Orguss:
Listening to the breathless commentary during the flight was disgusting. You'd think two other companies hadn't already reached space--and delivered astronauts and supplies to the ISS--twice----before Blue Origin.

Yep. IMO SpaceX is running circles around Bezos and his little pet project.