More SpaceShipTwo Details

Anonymous Coward from Manitoba writes "BBC news is reporting more details about Burt Rutan's proposed SpaceShipTwo. Apparently the new flyer will include five to eight passenger seats and have the 'same diameter crew cabin as a Gulfstream V business jet'. It will fly much higher than SpaceShip One - up to '135-140 km' that will permit an additional 90 seconds of microgravity. This will be important, since 'we want this roller coaster-type bar that you fold out of the way and you can float around'. They are also planning to 'have the option of landing in a different place from where they took off'. I can't wait until we can ride SpaceShipThree across the Atlantic in 20 minutes!"

Comments

an extra 90 seconds

[roseblood]

... my husband could take a hint from spaceship two.

Re:an extra 90 seconds

[Anonymous Coward]

If he needs to go up 135-140kms i can understand why he'd want to be out of there as soon as he could be.

Re:an extra 90 seconds

[Anonymous Coward]

So you're saying he should be charging $200,000 a ride?

Re:an extra 90 seconds

[Viceice]

this must be the first time i've seen the phrase "my husband" used on slashdot.. ever....

Re:an extra 90 seconds

[puzzled]

'too quick' is a common complaint, but what does one do about 'too long'?

Since you are in space

[eclectro]

Will they be able to hear you scream???

Re:Since you are in space

[Anonymous Coward]

If the cabin is pressurized, yes. If not...well your probably dead anyway.

Too rich for my taste

[wcitechnologies]

Until they get somewhere in the neighboorhood of SpaceShipTwentyEight, its still gonna be too expensive for me!

Translation please?

[Filiks]

"This experience is going to have very few restrictions on what you can do because these payloads are doing it for fun and every person has a different idea of what fun is.

Floating in space (Ansari X-Prize)
The X-prize vision is about to be realised
"Does that mean that some guy and his girl might want to take the whole ship? OK!"

Is that a euphemism for zero gravity sex? It'll be one of the few times when being quick is actually good! Also, with presumably multi-year waiting lists, it'll take performance anxiety to new high.

Re:Translation please?

[Anonymous Coward]

Not the mention the odd questions from the doctors after you don't finish early enough and are coupled together forcibly at something like 6Gs.

Re:Translation please?

[Kn0xy]

Translation = 'Mile High Club' will no longer be inpressive.

20 Minutes?

[thelizman]

Not including the two to two and a half hours it takes for the mother ship to climb to release altitude, and the flight itself takes more along the lines of a half hour to descend. Still faster than anything short of the concorde, but you'll still have to wait eight hours for your luggage - SS2 is designed for you and enough oxygen to keep you pink on the ride.

But

[Anonymous Coward]

Will it have bad food, grouchy flight attendants and lose your luggage?

SpaceShipX doesnt sound very catchy

[mrjb]

Maybe they should rename them to 'Thunderbirds' or something.

OK, smart guy...

[Junior J. Junior III]

How's that jumbo airliner come out against a schooner?

90 more seconds = bigger space sickness bags...

[Anonymous Coward]

Zero gravity can play havoc with peoples stomachs,
I hope they remind future passingers to skip eating the gumbo special
at the spaceport before launch...

Re:just how many..

[Anonymous Coward]

If you apply the same packing density to the QM2 it would be MUCH more efficient. Suspended animation would allow even more pax under both scenarios.