Let's buy a ticket on SS2 and raffle it

[Belisarius]

Hi all

Reading a post on the Virgin/Scaled Composites SS2 a mad idea occured to me.

Hear me out, I'm not mad (I think).

We should all club together, contributing money to a fund which will go to buy a ticket on SpaceShipTwo, then have a competition, a draw, or whatever, so one of us can go!

I pledge $50 if someone agrees to administer it.

Feedback?

 

[steph]

Let's see...Supposing the ideal situation when everybody contributes, let us assume 50$ per person contribution. Multiply that by 566 members, and you get the staggering amount of 28300 $. That could be enough to get us a ticket sometimes in 2011 probably, as the prices drop. But it wouldn't work.
Too much stuff needs to be taken care of in this contest.

 

[MJR]

Note that not everyone can contribute to the fund.

 

[Eagle]

I like the idea. But I think the most we could raise would be to pay the deposit.

Maybe we can get some kind of sponsor to help us out. What can the Pro-spaceflight Orbiter community do to earn a seat on Virgin Galactic? I do think this is possible, and the solution will likely do with active education.

 

[Kyle]

How about if everyone Donates 2 Dollars, and as we gain more memebers more, money.

 

[TSPenguin]

And there I am again asking for the crazy billionairs on this forum to come out!

 

[James.Denholm]

I'm a crazy... wait, I don't even have 1,000 AUD to my name...

Damn.

 

[Belisarius]

Maybe if we get the ball rolling it will snowball - madly optimistic perhaps, but so is almost everything connected with space

 

[doggie015]

I like the idea. But I think the most we could raise would be to pay the deposit.

Maybe we can get some kind of sponsor to help us out. What can the Pro-spaceflight Orbiter community do to earn a seat on Virgin Galactic? I do think this is possible, and the solution will likely do with active education.

I have an idea; somebody make an SS2 addon and get Virgin Galactic to provide us a seat on the real thing, in exchange for a seat in the virtual SS2

 

[bujin]

Let's see...Supposing the ideal situation when everybody contributes, let us assume 50$ per person contribution. Multiply that by 566 members, and you get the staggering amount of 28300 $. That could be enough to get us a ticket sometimes in 2011 probably, as the prices drop. But it wouldn't work.
Too much stuff needs to be taken care of in this contest.

Ah, but if the first person contributes $1, the second person $2, the third $4, the fourth person $8, and so on, it then only needs 19 people to contribute.

I wouldn't like to be anyone further down the chain than the 6th or 7th person though...

 

[reekchaa]

I have an idea; somebody make an SS2 addon and get Virgin Galactic to provide us a seat on the real thing, in exchange for a seat in the virtual SS2

That would be a Great Exchange deal! :lolol:
Still, If someone like the creator of the grand SS1 addon (mcDuck) could develop an SS2 addon, that would be a great step in experiencing the whole thing first hand.
Also, it's a lot cheaper for a flight on WhiteKnight2 (SS2's mothersihp) where you watch the 8-person spaceship drop from and then blast into space from an altitude of 50,000 feet ...from just 20 feet away.

 

[Scrooge McDuck]

Still, If someone like the creator of the grand SS1 addon (mcDuck) could develop an SS2 addon

sshh!
But seriously, I asked the one who created the initial 3D models for the last SS1, addon (Michael Grosberg) to rejoin forces and make a nice SS2/WK2 addon, but sadly he sort of lost his interest in modding.

Recently, I've made contact with the people at Scaled Composites. I would like to see their feedback on Orbiter itself, and a better version of SS1. I have also asked if they would contribute to a new SS2 addon (like rough 3d models, etc), but until now they are not very open yet on this subject. I may want to try to continue the conversation with one of the SS1 pilots directly, if they are more interested.


However, back on the topic of this thread, I'll join this club to get a ticket for a suborbital flight too (but of course only if I can choose myself to make the flight ). Also if the company near Magdeburg (Germany) succeeds in making a commercial suborbital plane soon, we could consider this too for the people in Europe.

regards,
mcduck


PS: Fortunately, I will join a Parabolic Flight in June this year, so I can prepare myself...

 

[simonpro]

PS: Fortunately, I will join a Parabolic Flight in June this year, so I can prepare myself...

Hah! Are you flying on the ESA flight or the charter flight? If it's the ESA one you'll have to put up with me as one of the Angels. I'll be sure to ask you lots of really annoying questions during the 2g phase

 

[Ghostrider]

I have another proposal. Let's so not buy a ticket, and just hijack it...

 

[Scrooge McDuck]

I have another proposal. Let's so not buy a ticket, and just hijack it...

Yes, thats a good idea. We have enough people here to form a good crew for both WK2 and SS2 (there are some professional pilots here, lot's of spaceflight experts, and quite some people with experience in flying glider planes)


[off topic]

Hah! Are you flying on the ESA flight or the charter flight?

No, I will be flying the parabolas with the Cessna Citation II aircraft of the Delft University of technology / National Aerospace Laboratory:

(more photos here)

It's smaller than 'your' Airbus A-300, but still fun I suppose. At least the zero-G parabolas are longer compared to those I make sometimes on the weekends in glider planes.

[/off topic] I may consider splitting this into a new parabolic flight thread, maybe there are more people here who have experience with it.

regards,
mcduck

 

[Belisarius]

In my opinion, just riding on the White Knight doesn't do it, in fact I think it would be frustrating to watch the luckier/wealthier ones blast off just below you.

So far we haven't had much serious interest... Maybe this idea just isn't gonna fly

 

[Ghostrider]

I think it would be frustrating to watch the luckier/wealthier ones blast off just below you.

Not if you have removed that part just before takeoff. You know, that small part that comes from the guidance system...

 

[James.Denholm]

Yes, thats a good idea. We have enough people here to form a good crew for both WK2 and SS2 (there are some professional pilots here, lot's of spaceflight experts, and quite some people with experience in flying glider planes)

But do we have any gun experts or terrorists?

Wait, my brother knows has fired a .22 and did trap-shooting for school sport... the school was trialing it, and as soon as the parents learnt that they were using REAL BULLETS (sigh) they pulled it off... pity, I never got to do it. Something about politics was also in there, but I'm not quite sure how.

Thinking, if you were a terrorist, I suppose you wouldn't exactly tell anyone over the internet.

Edit: Just saw the newer posts...

Not if you have removed that part just before takeoff. You know, that small part that comes from the guidance system...

Take that, you rich .

 

[simonpro]

I may consider splitting this into a new parabolic flight thread, maybe there are more people here who have experience with it.

Good plan, it'd be interesting to hear about your experiment.

In my opinion, just riding on the White Knight doesn't do it, in fact I think it would be frustrating to watch the luckier/wealthier ones blast off just below you.

Agreed. I'd rather have nothing to do with it at all than be stuck watching other people going off to have the fun

That is, IMO, the major downside of being an astronaut: Having to be on the backup crew.

 

[Ghostrider]

But do we have any gun experts or terrorists?

I'm a fairly good weapons expert, although the term I prefer is "freelance contractor"...