News Space tourism coming soon!!!

[Orbinaut Pete]

A nice inside look at Virgin Galactic/Spaceport America.

The Daily Telegraph: "Virgin Galactic: inside the world's first spaceport".

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Parabolic Arc: "Burt Rutan Retiring From Scaled Composites".

We'll miss ya, Burt.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

SPACE.com: "The Race for Private Space Stations: It's U.S. Versus Russia".

 

[SiberianTiger]

SPACE.com: "The Race for Private Space Stations: It's U.S. Versus Russia".

Still, one showstopper for the CSS is that a Soyuz still requires two trained Cosmonauts to be successfully operated because of its control panel design. This leaves only one chair vacant for a tourist. A quality improvement to Soyuz is required for it to become a real two-seater space taxi.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Still, one showstopper for the CSS is that a Soyuz still requires two trained Cosmonauts to be successfully operated because of its control panel design. This leaves only one chair vacant for a tourist. A quality improvement to Soyuz is required for it to become a real two-seater space taxi.

Actually, according to info I have read, the Soyuz TMA-M variant can be operated by only one trained crewmember!

 

[SiberianTiger]

Actually, according to info I have read, the Soyuz TMA-M variant can be operated by only one trained crewmember!

According to Energia people at novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru, that goal hasn't been achieved in the current version yet.

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

A very good, very big article from Florida Today taking an inside look at commercial spaceflight.

Space, Inc. moving closer to launch.

---------- Post added 15th Nov 2010 at 12:57 PM ---------- Previous post was 14th Nov 2010 at 04:38 PM ----------

SPACE.com: "N.M. Spaceport Kicks Into High Gear for Commercial Spaceport".

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

SpaceRef: "KLM Announces Suborbital Flight Relationship with Space Experience Curacao Using XCOR's Lynx Suborbital Spacecraft".


Parabolic Arc: "Scaled Composites Conducts Another SpaceShipTwo Drop Test".

SPACE.com: "Virgin Galactic's Private Spaceship Aces Its 3rd Glide Flight".

 

[RGClark]

All of Armadillo Aerospace, Blue Origin, and Masten Space Systems
plan on making uncrewed suborbital test flights this year. And Blue
Origin believes they can begin crewed suborbital test flights next
year. This could be the time frame in which SpaceShipTwo will be
making its first suborbital test flights.
See the links to the respective suborbital programs here:

Suborbital RLV.
https://c3.ndc.nasa.gov/flightopportunities/platforms/suborbital

Bob Clark

 

[orb]

BBC News: Space tourism jet work continues:

The European project to develop a space jet for fare-paying passengers is still very much alive, says EADS Astrium.

The plane, which would make short hops above the atmosphere, was announced in 2007 and then almost immediately put on hold because of the global downturn.

But Astrium, Europe's largest space company, says internal development work continues and it will spend a further 10m euros (£9m) on the concept in 2011.

{...}

 

[orb]

SPACE.com: Virgin Galactic's Private Spaceship Aces Another Glide Test:

The private spaceflight company Virgin Galactic scored another successful drop test of its SpaceShipTwo suborbital spacecraft today, the latest in a series of smooth solo glides over the California desert for the commercial spaceship.

SpaceShipTwo, designed and built by the Mojave-based company Scaled Composites, was released from its huge mothership a little after 8 a.m. local time today (Jan. 13) and soared in glide mode back to Earth to a runway at the Mojave Air and Space Port. The high-altitude flight did not reach space, but was the fourth in a series of demonstration flights ahead of an actual suborbital spaceflight test.

"We had another great flight today, piloted by Mark Stucky and co-pilot Clint Nichols ?a good start for what will be a busy year of flight tests," said George Whitesides, CEO and president of Virgin Galactic.

{...}

 

[RGClark]

Space tourism coming soon.

All of Armadillo Aerospace, Blue Origin, and Masten Space Systems
plan on making uncrewed suborbital test flights this year. And Blue
Origin believes they can begin crewed suborbital test flights next
year. This could be the time frame in which SpaceShipTwo will be
making its first suborbital test flights.
See the links to the respective suborbital programs here:

Suborbital RLV.
https://c3.ndc.nasa.gov/flightopportunities/platforms/suborbital

Just saw this:

Blue Origin carrying out "rocket launch activity".
"NOTAM Text:
"FDC 1/0432 ZAB NM.. TEMPORARY FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS VAN HORN TX.
EFFECTIVE 1105051200 UTC UNTIL 1105051900 UTC. PURSUANT TO 14 CFR
SECTION 91.143 TEMPORARY FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS ARE IN EFFECT DUE TO
ROCKET LAUNCH ACTIVITY WITHIN A 17 NAUTICAL MILE RADIUS OF 312706N/1044546W OR THE SALT FLAT /SFL/ VORTAC 125 DEGREE RADIAL AT 24.3 NAUTICAL MILES, SFC TO 10,000 MSL. BLUE ORIGIN LLC, 805-598-9309 IS IN CHARGE OF THE OPERATION. ABQ ARTCC /ZAB/ 505-856-4500 IS THE FAA COORDINATION FACILITY."
http://hobbyspace.com/nucleus/?itemid=29314


Bob Clark

 

[RGClark]

Armadillo was set to make their first test flight to 100,000 ft, 30 km, in April, but an unauthorized person, a hunter, in the launch zone caused them to scrub the launch:

Armadillo Aerospace's "Tube Rocket" 'Stig' completed.
Industry News by BEN BROCKERT, Armadillo Aerospace
SUNDAY, APRIL 03, 2011
http://www.rocketryplanet.com/content/view/3593/29/#ixzz1M6apKJvr

Unfortunately, White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) which is next door to the launch site at SpacePort America has not granted a right to launch since it was canceled in April.


Bob Clark

 

[RGClark]

Just saw this today from Masten Space Systems:

Xaero 20110512 Tether Flight.mov
"Uploaded by mastenspace on May 12, 2011
"Here is a glimpse of our tethered test sequence. With the tied down
(or tied up) tests completed, this is the next step in qualifying our
Xaero rocket vehicle for flight. In addition to testing the various
aspects of the hardware and shaking out bugs in the software, we are
also refining our crew operations. Today (05.12.11) we completed 3
tethered flights. Yesterday, we ran 5 tethered flights. It shouldn't
be long before the chains come off and the free flights begin. Stay
tuned for more updates. Media: contact Masten Space Systems for higher
resolution video."

Bob Clark

 

[fsci123]

These tourism companies claim they will launch ordinary people like me and you into space but tell me who the fk has $200k+... They are using false advertisement they aren't launching ordinary people they are launching billionaires who have the ability to waist money...

 

[Urwumpe]

Sue them, maybe you then become rich enough to fly.

But really: You can't tell rich people how they should spend their money. If they are stupid enough to pay 200,000 for a 3 minutes micro-gravity... fine.

 

[T.Neo]

Billionaires? Since when do you have to be a billionaire to have $200 000?

 

[jangofett287]

I envisage a day when any man would be able to go to to space for only a reasonable amount of money (200-500(Pounds, Dollars, Euros or Rubles. take your pick)).

Or have I been watching too much planetes recently...

 

[garyw]

These tourism companies claim they will launch ordinary people like me and you into space but tell me who has $200k+...

Erm.... a lot of people? $200k isn't much money at all. In the UK it's about £123,000 much, much less than your average house which goes for upwards of £200,000.

 

[fsci123]

Erm.... a lot of people? $200k isn't much money at all. In the UK it's about £123,000 much, much less than your average house which goes for upwards of £200,000.

Uh in america the average house is $100k at least in my neighborhood...