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Russia Unveils Space Shuttle for Tourists

Posted by timothy on from the goes-up-goes-down-da dept.

joestump98 writes: "Yahoo! News is running a story about those crazy, cash strapped, Russians building a space shuttle for tourists. For under $100,000 you can take a one-hour flight that includes a mere 3 minutes of weightlessness. Apparently the flights are to start around 2004/2005." 21mhz adds a link to this press release from Russia's Myasishchev Design Bureau, writing: "On close examination, it turns out to be a downscaled version of Buran."

7 of 198 comments (clear)

  1. Weightlessness, meh. Thrust, oh yeah. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    I'm not sure what the design is the article refers too, but if it's a vertical takeoff shuttle, I think the experience of lift-off alone would justify the expense (if I had that kinda money). I mean, you can be weightless in a vomit comet for less (I think), but you sure can't blast straight up into heaven.

  2. Crisscross? by red5 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    To this now the russians are the crazy capitalists and it's us with the draconian anti-freedom laws (DMCA).

    --
    I know I'm going to hell, I'm just trying to get good seats.
    1. Re:Crisscross? by ryanwright · · Score: 3, Insightful

      To this now the russians are the crazy capitalists and it's us with the draconian anti-freedom laws (DMCA).

      I was thinking the exact same thing. The Russians get it. Why the hell don't our leaders run with this? It's a huge idea and will make millions, not to mention the awesome benefits to technology. We piss and moan about people like Tito coming to the ISS while the Russians are making money. The next guy they're taking up has gone through a year of training and is paying millions to be an active crew member. He's going to perform experiments and act as a functional member of the crew.

      There are more than enough people willing and able to pay for things like this. What the hell is wrong with the people running my beloved USA?

      --
      -Ryan, with the unoriginal sig
  3. Normal people? by Judg3 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The makers of this new spaceship believe there is a huge untapped market of would-be space tourists - ordinary people willing to pay for the holiday of a lifetime.

    I don't know about you, but I sure as hell don't consider anyone able to pay $100,000 for 3 minutes of weightlessness normal.

    But I must admit, it's a cool idea and brings us 1 step closer to a trip to the moon costing as much as a flight from New York to London. But hell, even the cost of that flight is out of my price range.

    --
    Looking for hardware (Currently need: Large Etch-a-Sketch) Have one? See my journal!
  4. you can get that cheaper by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    A jump from the Golden Gate Bridge gives you a few seconds of weightlessness for free and may be no less safe than the Russian space shuttle.

  5. Shocked?!? by Tranvisor · · Score: 2, Insightful

    So am I the only one whos shocked at the fact that the Russians (the former USSR!) are going to be the first ones to approach a capitalist space program?! Come on, get your act together USA! Our entire country is based on the ideal that if you come up with something cool to do/sell you should do it and get rich, and the Russians are beating us to the punch? Please NASA, do something similar so you can fund a fucking Mars mission when the gov cuts your funding! Just think, we have the shuttles, its the only way we are going to go to mars any time soon and not have johnny taxpayer pay about a zillion dollars for it.

  6. Re:Looks aerodynamicaly unstable to me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful
    How many supersonic models have you built and tested? :)

    The subsonic, transsonic and supersonic regimes place substantially different requirements on the aerodynamics, it could well be that you are best off going for something which suffers from (correctable) instabilities at lower speeds, and behaves well at Mach 3.