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Photos Of Rutan's X-Prize Entry

Posted by timothy on from the private-enterprise dept.

burdicda writes "I think you might be interest in what Burt Rutan has been up to, out there in the Mojave Desert. Take a look at these pictures."

7 of 125 comments (clear)

  1. this is news? by pidhead · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Uh, did you miss the launch last week? What's new here?

  2. Again, they're on the right track by thephotoman · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I've said it before, but it's about time that the private sector got into space exploration. The government has gone about as far as it reasonably can in developing the actual process by which we go into space. Now, it should let private industry take the lead, as funding is generally more available in the private sector, and companies can often make decisions quicker than governments can.

    This is also probably the best way of getting the public interested in space travel again, by involving them as participants, not just spectators.

    NASA shouldn't be abandoned, as there's still room for government involvement, especially in strictly scientific missions like launching satelites. In fact, I'd propose that NASA retain its size, form, and function, but that it be a small percentage of space travel, not the majority of it originating in this country.

    --
    Haec merda tauri est. Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.
    1. Re:Again, they're on the right track by Paddyish · · Score: 4, Insightful
      I think what you're trying to articulate is this:

      NASA's role is that of the explorer - opening up new frontiers, blazing the first trail to the new world. A 'proof-of-concept' style approach.

      Once the trail has been established and marked, the private sector should move in and commericialize as much as possible. I think that this delegation of responsibility is the best possible balance in getting mankind permanently off of earth and beyond our solar system.

      FedEx may be better than the USPS, but who came first? Government involvement opens doors. The private sector enlarges those doors and makes it easier to reach the next set of challenges.

  3. NASA by Bob_Robertson · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I disagree with your premise entirely. NASA has been a disaster for space travel, ensuring that resources get plowed into the most inefficient, expensive, hide-bound techniques and designs. The only effort more backward is the Russian one, and at least the Russians stuck with one basic design and perfected it to the point where they have the highest lifting capacity in the world.

    Getting into space might have taken longer without the whole NASA "before the end of this decade" mission statement, but once done it would have been profitable and economical. Instead, "we" wasted 43 years of time just to repeat Shepherds sub-orbital pud-knocker.

    Seriously, dump NASA completely. Let the government buy commercial launch room for its spy satellites the same way they use FedEx because it works better than the USPS.

    And FedEx works better for exactly the same reason that Rutan came back with everything except his fuel, a feat NASA has never accomplished!

    Bob-

    --
    The Ludwig von Mises Institute. The reasoning individuals economics
  4. Quick victory by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I hope that Rutan wins the X Prize quickly and convincingly. He's the only one (correct me if I'm wrong) who is doing test flights. I trust him to get people into space without killing anybody. The other teams; I'm not so sure.

  5. Desperately need the private sector by DanielMarkham · · Score: 5, Insightful

    We desperately need the private sector, and things like the X-Prize.

    Anyone read "The Innovator's Dilemma"? The premise of the book is that radical changes (what the author calls "disruptive technologies") can never be supported by organizations attuned to the old technologies.

    Getting into space cheaply is going to require disruptive technology -- big paradigm changes. Just the nature of large organizations will keep NASA from being able to recognize or implement it. Just look at their current ideas for "X-Prize"-like contests -- they want to spread too little money over too many technologies. Who wants to compete to make the best astronaut glove? It just goes to show the agency is not capable of the radical changes we need for our space program.

  6. nm? by Biogenesis · · Score: 2, Insightful

    They've done a horribly annoying job of mixing feet and km in this image but why have they used nm? Like did the flight reach 100km high, travel 53nm in space then come down again?

    Did they screw up there or am I deeply confused about some weird measurement scanle than just happens to look like nanometers but like, isnt?

    --
    ...just so Google finds it.