Slashdot Mirror
FAA Setting Up Commercial Spaceflight Center
coondoggie writes "The FAA this week took a step closer to setting up a central hub for the development of key commercial space transportation technologies such as space launch and traffic management applications and setting orbital safety standards. The hub, known as the Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation, would have a $1 million yearly budget and tie together universities, industry players, and the government for cost-sharing research and development. The FAA expects the center to be up and running this year."
There are several problems in the way of this eternal fantasy:
1) There is nothing in space. Where would you go? In other words, once the novelty-seekers got their thrills, what's the motivation?
2) There is nothing in space. What would you eat, drink, breathe? In other words, this will be EXPENSIVE, extremely so.
3) ON this planet we can barely keep commercial AIRLINES going profitably. What is the profit motivator for space flight? Who's gonna go, with what money?
4) We can't even make supersonic air travel profitable on Earth, what makes you think we'll do space travel?
And the final nail in the coffin: energy. It takes a lot of it. And since I believe in reality and not Star Trek, it's all about the oil.
You want to see the curvature of the Earth? Make commerical "Man High" balloon flights like Kittinger did. It's a proven technology, much less energy intensive and will get you the same result as all the overly hyped and never heard from again sub-orbital private space flights.
Maybe, but they had already slated Edwards AFB to be the American spaceport for commercial ventures. There's no mention of Edwards in the article nor the associated pages, so this may be yet another great waste of time. Brac Apartments