OT: Who needs NASA !

[oleg]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3713119.stm

It even looks better than Shuttle !

[David E. Gervais]

I peek out from behind my lurking bush "interesting, very interesting." I return to the land of lurk.

Cheers! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

[ May 14, 2004, 15:51: Message edited by: David E. Gervais ]

[gregebowman]

I read that article this morning on the Drudge site. That ship looks great; just wish there was a close-up shot of it. It made me think that would make for a great shipset.

[rdouglass]

Originally posted by gregebowman:
... just wish there was a close-up shot of it. <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Maybe:

http://www.popsci.com/popsci/flat_files/space/space0503ss1_gallery/slide07.html

or here:

http://www.scaled.com/projects/tierone/New_Index/photos/photos_text.htm

[ May 14, 2004, 17:56: Message edited by: rdouglass ]

[gregebowman]

Thanks. Looks neater close up. And it would still make a good shipset.

[geoschmo]

The window portals remind me of Charlie Brown's Halloween costume. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

[Wardad]

Scaled Composites web site is cool too.

http://www.scaled.com/projects/tierone/New_Index/body.htm

Check it out! SpaceShipOne carried by White Knight.

http://www.scaled.com/projects/tierone/New_Index/photos/images/800/cap_car%20800.jpg

[Narrew]

This is exciting to see. I have been reading books about colonizing space. The largest obstacle is the lack of heavy boost ability. I see the X-prize as a great step in that direction, as long as the feds stay out of the way.

[EvilGenius4ABetterTomorro]

Exciting, but that ship looks a little floppy and fragile. I would request an ejection seat. As much as I admire Ruttan, I keep getting images of that really fragile airplane he went around the world in non stop a few years ago. What was that made of? Styrofoam?

[mottlee]

The only part that goes into space is the lower "Pod" the rest is just the launch platform, I think there was something about it on the Discovery Channel at one time

[Wardad]

Right, SS1 is tucked under the belly of White Knight. WN is not only a high altitude truck, it is a test platform for SS1 hardware. They do look similar.

http://www.scaled.com/projects/tierone/New_Index/data_sheets/html/lith_space_one_p1.htm

http://www.scaled.com/projects/tierone/New_Index/data_sheets/html/lith_space_one_p2.htm

[ May 15, 2004, 20:15: Message edited by: Wardad ]

[Magnum357]

Ya, the White Knight is suppose too look phlimsy like that because its suppose too designed too go VERY high Altitude, then lauch the pod too go into space. Personally, I think this is a safer way too get into space then NASA's Space Shuttle and I think its probably a lot less expensive. I have been an oppenent of the Space Shuttle just by the fact that NASA made the thing too damn big and its not even used for its original design anymore (if ever). It hardly ever docks with the international Space station (they usually use just conventional rockets too send supplies and contruct the Space station) and its too large in my opinoin too be practical or safe. A ship half the size of the shuttle could easily do much of the same stuff the Shuttle Fleet does at probably a cheaper cost and easier too maintian as it would be smaller then the Shuttle.

[Raging Deadstar]

I like it because it just looks nice http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

But thats just me http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

But seriously this is sounding good, Hopefully the company building this will also have learnt from the mistakes of the space shuttle, Avoiding any incidents like the "Columbia". http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif

(I have a memory like a seive, It was the Columbia that burnt up in orbit a year or two ago didn't it?)

*Raging Deadstar, He who spares enemy races on the basis of how pretty their ships are http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif "

[gregebowman]

Originally posted by Magnum357:
Ya, the White Knight is suppose too look phlimsy like that because its suppose too designed too go VERY high Altitude, then lauch the pod too go into space. Personally, I think this is a safer way too get into space then NASA's Space Shuttle and I think its probably a lot less expensive. I have been an oppenent of the Space Shuttle just by the fact that NASA made the thing too damn big and its not even used for its original design anymore (if ever). It hardly ever docks with the international Space station (they usually use just conventional rockets too send supplies and contruct the Space station) and its too large in my opinoin too be practical or safe. A ship half the size of the shuttle could easily do much of the same stuff the Shuttle Fleet does at probably a cheaper cost and easier too maintian as it would be smaller then the Shuttle. <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">The problem with NASA and the shuttles is that NASA only has so much of a budget, and they're being tasked to not only replace the shuttles, but plan a mission to Mars and still do the occassional rocket launch. Before Bush, NASA was the red-headed step-child of most presidencies. Now that Bush has declared his mandate, maybe NASA will get a bigger budget and whatever else they need to develop a safer and more practical shuttle or space plane or whatever it will turn out to be.

[ May 17, 2004, 17:30: Message edited by: gregebowman ]

[Atrocities]

Do we need NASA? Answer yes and no. What we need is a less political, back stabbing, cut throat, ego oriented operation and one that is run professionally by people who are not motivated by kick backs, short cuts, or the ill guided mind set that a human life is worthless so long as the mission is completed.

Does that sound like the NASA we want?

Come on, NASA my have flaws, sure some of the people who work there care only about their own ambission, and would gladly scarfice safety to save a buck, but what choice do they have? Their budge has been cut so many times that even the toe warmer industry makes more money in a year than NASA has in its budget.

NASA is the perfect example of "Do more with less." And when something goes wrong, it usually goes wrong big and then the very budget cutters who caused the problem want answers as to why it happened.

In my honest opinion, NASA is a fundamental nessassity and the politics that run NASA are the problem and not the people of NASA.

[Intimidator]

BTW. if NASA needs an new shuttle the should look on ebay :

http://cgi.ebay.nl/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Category=40049&item=2244240157&rd=1&ssPageName=WD2V

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

[dogscoff]

No way... that Ebay thing is a wind up, surely...

[Kamog]

Looks like somebody won the bid for the Russian space shuttle for a price of US one million dollars and one cent. What a bargain price for a space shuttle.

[Randallw]

Wow. I only checked the site this morning and they hadn't put it up yet.

[Gryphin]

Yes but only bcause of thier really cool pictures:
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
Love this page.

[Jack Simth]

News Flash: First X-Prize flight scheduled for September 29, 2004<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana"> (http://www.scaled.com/projects/tierone/index.htm)