Alpha Centauri 2

Community => Recreation Commons => Destination: Alpha Centauri => Topic started by: Buster's Uncle on October 24, 2012, 11:55:37 PM

Title: Branson: Virgin space project keeps being delayed
Post by: Buster's Uncle on October 24, 2012, 11:55:37 PM

Quote

Branson: Virgin space project keeps being delayed
Associated Press – 1 hr 17 mins ago.. .


WARSAW, Poland (AP) — British billionaire Richard Branson says his space tourism project keeps being pushed back and isn't sure of an exact date for the first launch.

He says it will be at least another 12 or 18 months before the Virgin Galactic venture can offer paid space travel to adventurers.

The founder of the Virgin Group met with students on his first visit to Poland on Wednesday, where he came to launch Virgin Academy, which will help young people kick start their own businesses.

Asked about Virgin Galactic, Branson said he has "stopped counting" days to the launch because it gets delayed "to the next year, to the next year."

More than 100 would-be space tourists have signed up for the $200,000 two-hour trips that go 62 miles (100 kilometers) above Earth.

http://news.yahoo.com/branson-virgin-space-project-keeps-being-delayed-134753117.html (http://news.yahoo.com/branson-virgin-space-project-keeps-being-delayed-134753117.html)


"Shy Virgins" joke goes here.

Title: Re: Branson: Virgin space project keeps being delayed
Post by: Green1 on October 25, 2012, 01:04:01 AM

Burt Rutan a while back had a heart attack. He does still serve in an "advisory role" but also does the same with Mike Griffin for Stratolaunch. Also, remember.. Scaled Composites was bought out! Not the same management.

Title: Re: Branson: Virgin space project keeps being delayed
Post by: Buster's Uncle on October 25, 2012, 02:34:45 AM

Tell me more; I don't know enough to understand all of that.  I don't even know much about Burt.

Title: Re: Branson: Virgin space project keeps being delayed
Post by: Green1 on October 25, 2012, 02:42:01 AM

Yeah, sure..

Burt Rutan suffered a heart attack last year, since then, he has been in an "advisory role" to Scaled Composites. Mostly "advisory roles" are honorary positions out of respect. Boeing, seeing the future, bought the company.

So... the visionary behind SS1 is now only a figurehead ad not involved in the day to day struggles and beholden to a larger Boeing bueracracy.

Title: Re: Branson: Virgin space project keeps being delayed
Post by: Buster's Uncle on October 25, 2012, 02:44:09 AM

And what do Scaled Composites and Stratolaunch do?

Tell me more about Burt; pretend I'm a lurker who knows nothing.

Title: Re: Branson: Virgin space project keeps being delayed
Post by: Green1 on October 25, 2012, 02:49:35 AM

Double posting... but to understand Burt and his genius in our time, you must watch his TED talk where he almost got chased off stage for being "subversive"...

Burt Rutan: Entrepreneurs are the future of space flight (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwfSENkvJXY#)

Stratolaunch and Scaled Composites have one thing in common: Paul Allen.... Second to Bill Gates. This is the guy that made SS1 possible, not Branson. Stratolaunch has Rutan AND Griffin working together. Conflift of interest?

Title: Re: Branson: Virgin space project keeps being delayed
Post by: Buster's Uncle on October 25, 2012, 02:54:30 AM

Why? 

Who's Griffin?  Never heard of him before. 

Knew about Paul Allen, of course.  He's done some interesting things with his fortune.

Dunno 'bout a 20 minute vid...  I've opened a second tab so I can let it load while I keep up with the forum.

Title: Re: Branson: Virgin space project keeps being delayed
Post by: Buster's Uncle on October 25, 2012, 03:00:07 AM

I gotta say that he had me already in the first 30 seconds.

Title: Re: Branson: Virgin space project keeps being delayed
Post by: Buster's Uncle on October 25, 2012, 03:05:18 AM

Wait, Burt; aerospace engineers are not more creative than me.

Title: Re: Branson: Virgin space project keeps being delayed
Post by: Green1 on October 25, 2012, 03:05:47 AM

Mike Griffen is the FORMER admin of NASA! He is an engineer to the extreme. He is the architect behind the cancelled Constellation Project by NASA. Obama cancelled most of his ambitious plans to settle the moon and asteroids! He was attacked from viscios blogs like rockets and such till Obama removed him and put puppet and shuttle pilot Charlie Bolden in charge. But, I give Charlie one thing.. he is honest if you read between the lines.

Title: Re: Branson: Virgin space project keeps being delayed
Post by: Green1 on October 25, 2012, 03:11:06 AM

I do not think you understand how badass Rutan was before being in a "advisory" position. Melville, who was the first civilllian to get astronaut winngs from the US was required by Rutan to build his own aircraft and fly to him in New Mexico.

Title: Re: Branson: Virgin space project keeps being delayed
Post by: Buster's Uncle on October 25, 2012, 03:22:30 AM

I understand that Burt is holding my attention.  I don't play most vids people post at all, and he's got me.

I understand that he wants Star Trek, and joyrides for the rich are the first step.  I don't recall where I talked about inspiration as the truest, deepest value of human space exploration recently, but he articulates the concept really well.  This guy gets it.

Title: Re: Branson: Virgin space project keeps being delayed
Post by: Buster's Uncle on October 25, 2012, 03:43:23 AM

While still having some reservations about the whole private v government thing...

Okay, Burt.  I'm on the bus.  Lead me.

Title: Re: Branson: Virgin space project keeps being delayed
Post by: Buster's Uncle on October 25, 2012, 04:28:07 AM

Quote from: BUncle on October 25, 2012, 03:22:30 AM

I don't recall where I talked about inspiration as the truest, deepest value of human space exploration recently, but he articulates the concept really well.  This guy gets it.

Aha!  Found it!

Quote from: BUncle on October 18, 2012, 06:33:51 PM

Quote

Nearby Earth-Sized Alien Planet Could Spur Interstellar Exploration

[...]
 
"Why climb the mountain? Because it exists," she told SPACE.com. "That's the human spirit, and it brings with it infinite possibilities — for practical things like technology that improves the human condition and the reality of interstellar exploration but also for lofty things like evolution and global cooperation and who knows — maybe even knowledge of other life in the universe. One can dream."

http://news.yahoo.com/nearby-earth-sized-alien-planet-could-spur-interstellar-162048044.html (http://news.yahoo.com/nearby-earth-sized-alien-planet-could-spur-interstellar-162048044.html)

That last phrase - no one talks about it much, but a very real benefit of physical space exploration is that people need dreams, and sending probes and to a much greater extent, people feeds that hunger for dreams much better than telescopes ever can.

In the 70's, they wiped their behinds with the inspirational aspect of the space program and flushed in favor boring shuttle/LEO stuff.  $#@! that.  We need guys walking around the Moon and Mars.  The dreams/insiration are a bigger payoff than even the huge tech profit the space program pays.

We need to be working toward building and launching the Unity 30 years ago.

Title: Re: Branson: Virgin space project keeps being delayed
Post by: Green1 on October 25, 2012, 04:43:16 AM

Yeah.... listen to that video... or anything anyone posts from TED. It is no joke. Rutan definately has a problem with only rich folks able to get to space. The dude is not your typical aerospace guy. Then..you understand..

Title: Re: Branson: Virgin space project keeps being delayed
Post by: Buster's Uncle on October 25, 2012, 04:51:10 AM

There ain't nothin wrong with using the rich as guinea pigs for the rest of us on tech stuff where the injustice won't last.  That worked in the late 70s for VCRs and microwaves, and it could work now.  LET Justin Timberlake pay out the butt and take the risks - maybe that'll get the cost and safety to something reasonable before I'm too old to go.

Title: Re: Branson: Virgin space project keeps being delayed
Post by: Green1 on October 25, 2012, 04:58:59 AM

...and no.. this is not Star Trek.... this is real life.

Age.... may just be like Michu Kaku said be a number.

Maybe it is something akin to a discussion in another thread about the works of Hienlien.

Title: Re: Branson: Virgin space project keeps being delayed
Post by: Buster's Uncle on October 25, 2012, 05:04:40 AM

There ain't nothin' wrong with wanting Star Trek - as long as you don't wear your costume out in public.  I ain't done that since I was 11, and neither should anyone else.

You mean that Burt's a pervert?  He ain't no crank, if you ask me.

Title: Re: Branson: Virgin space project keeps being delayed
Post by: Green1 on October 25, 2012, 05:57:11 AM

Some see him as a crank. But.. because of his rep, can not say [poop].

Title: Re: Branson: Virgin space project keeps being delayed
Post by: Buster's Uncle on October 25, 2012, 05:59:47 AM

He makes a world of sense to me.