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NASA Wants To Fund Space Taxis
NASA plans on using $50 million in stimulus funds to seed development of a commercial passenger transportation service to space. Potential space taxi inventors have 45 days to submit their proposals. The proposals will be competitively evaluated and the winners will be announced by the end of September. It is unclear what other Commodore 64 games NASA plans on making a reality, but I hope Arkanoid makes the short list.
NASA plans on using $50 million in stimulus funds to seed development of a commercial passenger transportation service to space.
... More stimulus funds that 99% of the middle class will never see. How is this gonna help my 401k?
Space Taxi....
I expect Palin will be going around telling everyone about the new amendment to the health care plan that involves using these space taxis to shoot old people into the Sun so we don't have to pay for their health care.
I fondly remember killing thousands of passengers on my 64.
"You betchya!"
Sarah Palin can see the sun from her house in Alaska, so she feels she's qualified to discuss space commercialization.
Developers: We can use your help.
It's worth nothing that, while few people are directly involved w/the space program, the space program has historically had indirect benefits which have benefited society. To list a few (from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_spin-off):
Health and Medicine
Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) (2005)
Infrared Ear Thermometers (1991)
DeBakey's Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) (2002)
Artificial Limbs (2005)
Transportation
Aircraft Anti-Icing Systems (2007)
Highway Safety Grooving (1985)
Improved Radial Tires (1976)
Chemical Detection (2007)
Public Safety
Video Enhancing and Analysis Systems (2001)
Land Mine Removal (2000)
Fire-Resistant Reinforcement (2006)
Firefighting Equipment (1976 onwards)
Consumer, Home, and Recreation
Temper Foam (1976-2005)
Enriched Baby Food (1996, 2008)
Portable Cordless Vacuums (1981)
Freeze Drying Technology (1976, 1994)
Environmental and Agricultural Resources
Water Purification (1995, 2006)
Solar Energy (2005)
Pollution Remediation (1994, 2006)
Computer Technology
Better Virtual Software (2005)
Structural Analysis (1976-1998)
Internet-Connected Ovens (2005)
Industrial Productivity
Powdered Lubricants (2005)
Improved Mine Safety (1978-2008)
Food Safety Systems (1991)
-Z
This is almost reminiscent of the 5th element with Bruce Willis where he drives a cab in the future, which allows to go into space etc...
all I can say, is I welcome our Taxi driving overlords
I'm sure Republicans and Libertarians are all in favor of private space taxis, whether NASA helps create the technology or others do. Having the government with a monopoly on space taxis is different from private taxis services.
This will come in really handy all those times I have too much to drink and need to get back to my Secret Moon Base.
And maybe once they figure this out they can build a working escalator at the Reagan Metro stop. Or maybe the Space Taxi's can just moonlight moving luggage up to the platform.
My friend Leloo needs one.
The important question is: can these taxis make the Kessel Run in under 12 parsecs?
Nevermind the NeoCons.
Space tourism seems to be a thing best left to the robber barons. They seem to be doing a better job of it.
50M is a pittance and NASA needs all it can get for it's own R&D type projects.
How about a lets-triple-NASAs-budget stimulus package?
A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
0/10
Are you even trying?
Or are you just mentally ill?
Hailing a Cab when its 5 yards away, and now they want to put them in SPACE?
First, engineers and scientists get jobs, and practice their craft. And do you think the scientists and engineers assembled the rockets with Erector sets in their own private labs? No, they had manufacturers build the parts and the craft. You have small manufacturers building the parts, and large ones assembling the pieces, with distributors in the middle moving the material and making sure it's all on time and available when needed.
And then those people go home and spend their money on stuff...
The best kind of stimulus is the kind of stimulus that puts people in jobs. And if you think space taxis are nothing but an idea for the very rich to go into space, just realize that the next thing we need to figure out in space is how to get people into space both safely and cheaply. Hey, get people safely and cheaply into space? That means more satellites, more repairs, more tourism for the common man, more economic opportunities.
"All great wisdom is contained in .signature files"
You'll see that money when the engineers who win the contest lay down an Abe Lincoln in front of you at McDonalds.
Your employer will never see the money they spent on you while you were on slashdot either.
This is a minimal amount of money for human rated launchers. Between SpaceX and Scaled Composites, this IS coming (Though to be honest, I would really like to see SpaceDev finish their work on their h-20).
What really IS needed IS a space taxi AND a tug. Russia has the idea correct. Augustine should be pushing Obama/NASA to buy several Bigelows to attach to the ISS. First buy the sundancer and attach it to the ISS to hold cargo (keep hatch closed except when needing to access). Then buy a BA-330 for human space. That is all that is needed to get them going in orbit. These are perfect for playing space taxis, if we attach a tug to these.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Something tells me shooting an old person into the sun would be at least several orders of magnitude times more expensive than their health care.
Most of the money goes into the pockets of the executives.
$50 million is nothing. That money will be eaten up by administrative functions.
Taxing from hardworking real middle class to give some government agency to BURN our money is ridiculously CRIMINAL.
The way Congress manipulates our taxes to BUY VOTES is wrong.
There are some drivers in NYC whose body odor will make your eyes water.
hope Arkanoid makes the short list.
Ah, Arkanoid, the single player version of pong. I really miss that one.
Pad one please
Seems like SpaceX's Dragon capsule is a good start in that direction already. It's intended to carry seven to/from the ISS.
And it has the advantage of being under development already, and under construction already.
"I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
In space, no one can hear you ka-ching!
Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?
They came up with this option in case you wanted to get to your job on Klaxon 5 a littler faster than you would by taking the space subway.
NASA is whining that their budget is too small to complete the Constellation program and then they waste money on pie-in-the-sky crap like this. Stimulus money or not this should have gone to something FAR more practical
So basically your saying the government needs a +4 trainer with infinite power and ore cheats. I suppose next you'll ask for instant build time and no cool downs on our super weapons.
I bet this is the government's conspiracy theory secret plan to flip all those 'cash-for-clunkers' cars for good use and pocket the $50 Billion on booze, hookers and free lunches.
Caveman Ugh-lympics was awesome! One of my all time favorite games. The mate-toss was awesome, especially the butch cave woman who tossed her geeky husband!
There are cheaper ways to risk your life for a thrill. Space, everyone seems to forget, is the most dangerous (and expensive) place a human can be. Tourism revenue just doesn't cut it for a reason to do this.
The Admin and the Engineer
Elite or Frontier: Elite II (I know... it's not a c64 game)...
Are you aware of her "death squads" comment? GP was making an satirical analogy (and IMHO, a fairly valid one) about her comments related to the health care bill, which were completely incongruous with fact. I really miss the old Republican party... I could actually vote for them occasionally.
If you can read this... 01110101 01110010 00100000 01100001 00100000 01100111 01100101 01100101 01101011
I loved that game.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuRyiFg6FBY
Most of those 'benefits' have nothing to do with the space program other than they were developed at an agency that also happens to run the space program.
The NASA PAO is also a past master at making it appear that NASA developed technology, when in reality all NASA did was applied research on already existing technology. (For example, freeze drying - first commercially used back in the 1930's!)
The magazine reference in your link (Spinoffs) is very aptly titled - because it's mostly spin.
The economy is terrible, and some may say "WE'RE SPENDING MONIES ON SPACE TAXIS WTF?!?" But, the fact is, the people need to spend to stimulate the economy. Unfortunately, we need to be a LITTLE less frugal in order to help the economy. If NASA can put the ride prices at, say, $50 - less would be better of course, maybe sell 10 tickets at $20 per ride - then hopefully they could convince Joe the Plumber types to go on a ride to space. That is the price of a local venue show ticket, and apparently live music ticket sales are doing swell. If they can get people to do this, they can help stimulate the economy - but it has to be cheap, accessible, and interesting.
The other factor that would help is advertising: NASA tells you you are helping the economy AND that your money helps fund new research and technology - and really, if they want it to work, they'll HAVE to invest in more efficient ways to get to space, and in theory that tech would trickle down to the general manufacturing industry and help bolster our economy by making cheaper products of higher quality to export.
NASA will have three reasons for doing this:
1> they will indeed spend all the money on Admin costs (remember what NASA is an acronym for - esp the last letter)
2> NASA has a vested interest in maintaining their monopoly (they don't have one - but they think they do) on manned spaceflight - so all proposed Space Taxis will be deemed unworkable.
3> After filing off the serial numbers, NASA will steal any good ideas and massage them into something that will require 5 - 10 years of increasingly expensive studies - to be funded at taxpayer expense now that those pesky entrepreurs have been dealt with.
You either believe in rational thought or you don't
The escape velocity for Earth is only 7 miles per second. With advanced railgun technology, it might be possible to launch a human into the sun at a surprisingly affordable price, once the up-front R&D investment is made. A military grade railgun today can fire a 2kg projectile at 3km/s with 9MJ of energy. To fire a 75kg human at 11.2km/s would require 1.26 GJ of energy, so clearly more research is needed. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if a railgun would work on biological material. It may be necessary to coax the person into a metallic capsule that would be more responsive to the railgun's electrical field.
As an added bonus, this all-electrical solution is also environmentally friendly. No potentially hazardous rocket propellants to deal with, and the energy to fire the railgun could be generated during off-peak hours to further reduce costs. I think this solution would be far more economical than using conventional chemical-based rocket propulsion to launch old people into the sun.
Take off every Sig. For great justice.
The things you listed are certainly worthy investments. But then again, everything you listed is ultimately vulnerable, and shortsighted. We have the technology now, at this point in history, to put people in space and insure a future for the human race, and indeed every living being on earth, and everything that has been created as a product of those. You never know when that opportunity will be taken away, be it climate change, nuclear war, disease, apathy, or a collapse of civilization. The time to go is now, while we still can! It should be the #1 priority of the human race.
The sending of this message pretty much inconveniences everyone involved.
50 million spend just to get those drunk astronauts safely home. What a waste. Just limit the amount of Vodka they are allowed in their luggage.
Also, when you figure out reentry, you get a supply of human-flavored jam and jelly.
I've had this sig for three days.
Yes, I'm aware that this is a joke. But...
11.2 km/s is about escape speed from Earth. It is nowhere near enough to drop someone (or something) into the Sun. For that, you're talking somewhere over 30 km/s.
"I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
"Mail Order Monsters" would be nice please. Much better than UFC or WWE.
_damnit_
It's my job to freeze you. -- Logan's Run
Did someone say... Space Taxi?
My stupid web site
You could save even more if they were cremated first ;)
Maybe enough to guarantee solar orbit...
SB
It's old. The more humans I meet, the more I like my cats. At least they are honest.
I propose this: http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/nonciclopedia/images/5/5d/Pullman_shuttle.jpg
Bert Rutan proved we can get relatively safely and cheaply out of the atmosphere. Using the potential fuel on the moon, we could make a space tug accelerate a pay load to escape velocity.
The reason space is so expensive is, to achieve escape velocity requires rocket fuel be lifted from the earth's surface.
It's called an elephant's trunk whereas it is in fact, an elephant's nose, a nose by any other name would smell as sweet
I can see the movies now:
A L I E N 5:
F O R E I G N
D R I V E R
"In Space, No One Can Hear You Whistle"