Slashdot Mirror
Tito Good To Go, Rotary Spirals Downward
MousePotato writes: "Space.com is reporting that former NASA scientist turned Wall Street guru Dennis Tito has apparently gotten final approval (paid in full I guess is all you really need) for launch aboard a Soyuz by the end of April. Destination: ISS. Tito was originally slated to be one of the first tourists aboard the rapidly declining MIR space station. No specific figures are available on the site as to how much for the mircograv vacation but the rumor mill is placing the cost of the trip at $20 million USD. This may be just a few dollars more than buying your own rotary rocket company at auction but might just give the space tourism industry the kick it needs..."
The ISS is a dump heap for those members of the studio audience who would have the $$$ and the hubris for such an ostentatious trip.
The ISS is cramped, already smells like astro-sweat, and has very loud air conditioners (I mean so loud you can barely hear yourself talk)
If I had 20 million dollars I would invest it in myself so I could get the skills and training needed to go into space and do something USEFUL, like piloting the craft or conducting scientific experiments. I would not sit up there bearing the sneers of the crew who is so top notch they get PAID to be up there (hazard pay).
Goat sex free since 2001
Ummmm... the CRV will be man-rated; it has to be, since it will carry crew. Live crew, in fact... ;)
It's already been noted that the CRV or some derivative thereof would make a fine low-cost mini-shuttle. ESA (the European Space Agency) is has been spending money on that, and are even working on their own version of the landing parafoil (ESA is providing funds and hardware for the X-38 program anyway). The Japanese are also rumored to be interested.
Matter of fact, I've seen some preliminary design work on the ESA ideas for this, at JSC in Houston (but don't quote me on that...).
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Politics is about making compromises. Religion isn't. --Michael Horton
the tip you would have to give the pilot? :P Let's see...15% of $20,000,000...
How Jaded Are You?
how much would they be willing to pay for the return trip?
Stop by my site where I write about ERP systems & more
They aren't going to see any serious revenue until their launch vehicle reachs orbit, and even by their optimistic development cost estimates, that's going to take more than the 5 figure sum they owe in taxes, it's going to take another 8 figures of capital. Granted, there's always the chance that some wacky billionaire will cut a check (and Mr. Gates, if you're reading this: here is how to get geeks to forgive you for Windows) but I wouldn't bet on it.
In other words, if Rotary has paid their taxes, it doesn't mean anything besides a few more months of their aero test unit sitting in mothballs and their remaining staff (Gary Hudson, the man behind the whole thing, has left, and I don't know how many people survived their layoffs) praying for new investors.
Damn shame, too. Even Beal's out of the running now. I don't know how Kistler is doing now, but if they don't make orbit we can pretty much kiss serious space development goodbye for another couple decades.
Tito recently provided SpaceRef with an in-depth interview which makes for good reading.
One would think slashdotters more than anyone would see the advantages of breaking the monopoly of a single agency over something with as much potential as space.
Ñ'
Something that article doesn't mention is that Rotary Rocket claims to have wired the money this week to cover the back taxes. Kern County officials say that they'll hold the auction unless they can verify funds being in receipt. So the auction might be cancelled, it's hard to tell. If it isn't I'm gonna be there.
This is so sad, Rotary Rocket has such a cool cool concept for a re-usable manned SSTO that could have serviced the International Space Station. Iridium's failure is to blame for Rotary's problems. If Iridium hadn't failed, the launcher market wouldn't have dropped out from under companies like Rotary, Kistler and Beal.
When Tito goes up this year, there is going to be a lot of attention unless MirCorp screws it up. NASA is very pissed off about him going to the ISS because they're worried that people will start realizing that "hey, normal people can survive a trip into space and why the HELL haven't you boys at NASA made space flight anywhere near as safe and cheap as the Russians yet?"
A space shuttle launch costs $500 million or so, $1 billion if you amortize the whole development into the cost. A Soyuz launch (most reliable manned spacecraft in the world) costs as low as $10 million and possibly as high as $50 million, depending on who you talk to. NASA needs to put some beef into man-rating the X-38 derivative CRV and certifying it for launch aboard an ELV (like a Delta) so that we can have a cheap way to put people in orbit.