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British billionaire Richard Branson says his Virgin Group is on track to become the world’s first commercial spaceline, with suborbital flights for space tourists due to start in 2008.
Virgin Galactic will offer 'spaceflights' for $200,000, and says it has already received more than 150 firm reservations and taken $13.1 million in deposits. About 45,000 people have expressed an interest in the trips.
Weigh In!... What are your thoughts on commercial space travel!?!
Kudo's to 'jc's designs'
11 comments:
on the one hand, i think it's a tragic waste of money...seems like $13.1 million (and that's just for down payments?) could help a hell of a lot of people.
on the other--who am i to tell folks how to spend their money?
(as for me? i'm just gonna wait until the prices drop below $70,000 or so... hee hee)
also, i think branson is basing this venture out of new mexico, which will, at least, be helpful to the economy there. i guess. i mean, if it really and truly takes off. (get it? "takes off"? ... sorry, it's monday, and my word play is worse than usual!) : D
Puppytoes, I couldn't agree more. There are so many ways that money could be spent to alleviate ignorance, hunger, joblessness, etc.
I suppose there may be many technological and scientific advances that might fit into alleviating those things mentioned above. That may just be wishful thinking.
As for me, I'll wait until my next life on this plane (you're not the only one who loves to pun. lol) to take my space ride.
Gee it's only suborbital. What a bummer.
I just think it's weird and a little scary. Yikes!
puppytoes~ yep, when the price drops to $69,999, i'm in!
jack~ think that's the first time i will orbit is in the after life. :)
jolynn~ me too! it's what bored millionaires do!!
It's capitalism in space. Personally, there's more I think I could do with my money. But at the same time...if I had the means, I find the possibility of going into space to be an incredible opportunity.
spending $$ is all relative. what's expensive to me is cheap to others and vice versa. but in answer karen to your question, if the $200K was spare change to me and I was a charitable person to others I'd probably treat myself to a suborbital jaunt, barf bag and all!
I don't have a problem with private space travel. Who the heck said that only the Government controls space anyway?
I'm not in the market to take the trip, but it's like when the Russians sold the first trip for $20 million-- what business does NASA or the Pentagon or the White House have telling someone else that they can't go into space?
Besides which,
if I wanted to stop this, I'm probably in the relatively unique position of being able to. Their projected re-entry path is likely to avoid major metropolitan areas like Phoenix and Albuquerque, and where I am (a sparsely populated area a few hundred miles NW of the spaceport) could very well get the brunt of it if any of these things ever breaks up on re-entry. So if I really wanted to stop it, I and my neighbors probably could by filing suit against the risk (just based on the space shuttle statistics and how often that either blew up or broke up). But stopping it doesn't interest me.
phoenix~ "capitalism in space"... hmmmmmm, interesting concept.
rgmb~ omg, yes, when i go, i almost forgot the barf bag and all! rofl!
eli~ you and your neighbors could make a *mint* charging re-entry fees!
If I could afford it, I'd take a ride into orbit in a heartbeat.
...Yes it is a waste of money, from my perspective, but who am I to tell someone else how to spend their money. I'd respect them more if that money went toward research for: (pick your disease or sickness)
...If that sounds hypocritical on my part, I would take the ride only after I'd made sizable charitable contributions.
mike {hale}~ my sentiments exactly!
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