This might come as a SHOCK to the government, but Paul Allen funded space flight for only 20 million. And the ship looks cool. Meanwhile NASA gets HOW MUCH a year and they haven't built a ship since 1983. I am truely excited about what this might mean for the future of spaceflight and all that. What next? A commercial space station?
I'm home sick today.
~B.
I know, they're actually predicting space tourism in our lifetimes, with this SpaceShipOne working out so well. And if that's not cool, I don't know what is.
ReplyDeleteHope you feel better.
- KF -
Dan here...
ReplyDeleteI had two friends who drove to the mojave desert to see the plane in it's flight. They said it circled and circled until it was a tiny spec, then they heard over the radio or something that the plane had reached space. The thousands of people standing there were pretty excited. After that they watched it circle back down to the ground. They said it was a pretty great day...
...SPACE! Here we come. I am so looking forward to weightlessness. :)
I haven't looked at the details of the flight yet, but from what I've gathered, it was more a pseudo-space flight. It got up high enough to be considered "in space," but did not and could not yet orbit. I think that's right, but correct me if I'm wrong.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to have that move into the commercial realm, thought...and a bit scarry
Actually Ryan, you're correct. The ship flew 1/10 of a mile into what some international agrement calls space (62 miles up), and was only there for three minutes. Still, it's a big thing when you consider that's the first ever non-governmental flight into anything remotely near space.
ReplyDeleteThe pilot was there long enough, however, to open a bag of M&M's and watch them float around briefly. Ah, weightlessness!
The thing that put the whole expirence into perspective for me was when someone said that Geosyncronis (sp!) orbit is 22,000 miles up! This trip only went 62 miles! Yikes that's a whole lot more of "space" to get into to really get into "space".
ReplyDeleteBut still. I'm excited!
~B.