NASA Buying Private Companies' Suborbital Rocket Flights

FleaPlus writes "NASA is spending a total of $475,000, split between Masten Space Systems and John Carmack's Armadillo Aerospace, for a series of seven test flights of the companies' reusable suborbital rockets over the next several months, going to altitudes as high as 25 miles. NASA's goal is to foster a more cost-effective and flexible way to conduct microgravity and upper-atmosphere research. Jeff Bezos's suborbital spaceflight company Blue Origin has also been making steady progress this year on their $3.7M contract to test pusher-escape system and composite pressure vessel technologies, which NASA is interested in for orbital spaceflight."

Comments

Re:This is good.

[insufflate10mg]

Along with heavy government regulation. Free market restricted by sensible government regulation, thank you FMRBSG.

Re:Good For Space Tourism

[Anonymous Cowpat]

I for one look forward to lighting a rocket under my butt and launching myself out of the atmosphere.

Puh-lease! It's infinitely more sophisticated than that - you cling to the side and they stick your hands on with gaffer tape.