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Virgin Galactic Passengers May Just Miss Going into Space
DavidGilbert99 (2607235) writes "According to the customer contract those signing up for a $240,000 flight on Virgin Galactic's spaceship the company will bring you 'at least 50 miles' above sea level. The problem is that the internationally accepted boundary for outer space is 62 miles above sea level — known as the Karman Line. Virgin is trying to get around the issue by claiming it is using a definition of space used by NASA — in the 1960s."
Presumably they are looking to see the curvature of the earth and the stars set against a black background. If I saw that, I'd feel like I went to space, even if technically I did not.
Virgin is trying to get around the issue by claiming it is using a definition of space used by NASA — in the 1960s."
Well, that's gay. Before you think I'm a homophobe, I'm using a definition used in the 1960s.
If you know how far you are going above the earth, can't you decide for yourself before purchasing if that qualifies or not? Who cares what anyones definition is but your own if you are the one going? Is the problem if you step outside you may not die quite as quickly because you aren't over the imaginary line?
It's not like they are going to miss out on "Official Space Certification".
To me, as long as Virgin actually takes you 50 miles or higher, they have fulfilled what they said they would do.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
50 km is 164,042 feet. That's a long way up. Only 543 people have reached an altitude of 50 km or higher.
A reasonable definition of space would be based on orbital velocity, not location. Virgin galactic is selling a few minutes of zero-g, similar to, but considerably longer (and much more expensive) than the commercial vomit-comet flights. You could do something similar by dropping a capsule from a high altitude balloon.
Its true that they are in an area of very low air pressure, but that isn't particularly interesting to passenger .
Its fine if people want to pay for this, and if calling it "space" will give them bragging rights, its OK with me. It isn't really space travel.
The only reason I care is that this can confuse the general public into thinking that say Space-X and Virgin Galactic are doing anything remotely comparable, or thinking that an orbital virgin -galactic upgrade is a minor change, not a completely new and spectacularly more difficult problem.
This is just insane. Going to 50 miles, or 62 miles, or even 200 miles straight up is utterly pointless. It does not advance us at all. It's a gimmick for people with too much money and not enough brain cells. Yes, it might be 'space' (for a few minutes) -- but so what?! This is really old tech. The USA did this in the 50s.
Getting to orbit is a lot harder, yes; but that's an actual achievement, instead of a publicity stunt. You can actually do useful stuff once you're in orbit. You can't do that from a jumped-up fairground ride.
I expect this whole fiasco will quietly fade from the public eye, once the backers realize that they've invested heavily in a pig in a poke. If they are smart, they won't plough (plow, for Americans) any more cash into this travesty.
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At 50 miles, passengers will not qualify for a NASA astronaut badge.
Missed it by *that* much...
Momentarily, the need for the construction of new light will no longer exist.
We know you have a choice in Space Tourist Travel services and it looks like you picked the wrong one.
Harrison's Postulate - "For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism"
I'll now wait until they hit the 62 mile mark before signing up.
The hipsters will love it.
ha at first glance, I read this headline as "Virgin Galactic Passengers May Just Go Missing in Space". Glad that's not the case!
Exercise.
... like a bathtub full of saltwater is "the ocean".
that doesn't go the whole way.....
Hey, the sky is completely black while at the top of everest. If there's little to no gravity and you can see black stuff and look down and there's Earth, I don't think anyone will be complaining.
Just like the "miracle of 3D printing" stories all fall apart under the harsh light of reading the story once, all this "private space" crap is just an amusement park ride for the idle rich.
100km you imperial-unit-morons!
Or perhaps because... you know, you get to go up higher than just about any other civilian? If i had the money to blow i'd do it in a heart beat. I'm still waiting on that flying car let alone a personal space-ship.
You use location if your selling tourism. You use orbital velocity if you view it as a sport. The 50 mile point describes the line between the mesosphere and the thermosphere. The 100km point is a height that can't be reached using air as lift. This point is based on orbital velocity. There is also a 150km point where air no longer drags things out of orbit.
Virgin Galactic is not claiming suborbatal flight.. So I think it is unfair to use the second two measures.
Come on, space is at least the orbital velocity (7.9 km/s). Otherwise, Nazi Germany was in space already!
Regardless of the amount of money paid, if the trip to 50 miles is significantly safer than the trip to 62.01 miles, which one would you rather take?
How about time to liftoff? If I were pushing 60+ years old, I'd much rather ride a 50 mile altitude rocket in 2015 instead of a 62 mile altitude rocket in 2018.
At 50 miles up, open the hatch.
If telephones are outlawed, then only outlaws will have telephones.
I've been to space, MySpace.
Table-ized A.I.
There's obviously no single space altitude, regardless of what officials declare. Physically, the air thins progressively.
Miles is an archaic form of measurement. If you want to get into space you need to use something a bit more modern.
Their website (http://www.virgingalactic.com/booking/) says: "An exclusive spaceflight for you and up to 5 friends"
but on second read that might be a different package that costs more. The website doesn't really say.
That only means that six people can go at a time. It's $250,000 PER PERSON. Hell, it's the second line on the booking page.
"All seats to fly to space are US$250,000"
It clearly says all seats are $250K, implying any seat you pick is $250K.
Mr. Hertz is "credited" with once-per-second. A great discovery.
Mr. Karman is "credited" with 100km above sea level. Another innovation.
Mr. Celsius is "credited" with a scale based on 0 to 100 for ice to steam. Yup, that's some mighty hard thinking.
Mr. Farenheit is "credited" with a scale based on 0 to 100 for cold to hot, but he screwed up and got a scale based on 0 to 97.6 -- what a retard.
With all of these super-smart inventions, I'd better claim mine now.
Bryan's Law of Minimums: there is a minimum countable quantity of any possessable item; it is typically one (1).
For example, it is impossible to *have* fewer than 1 passport office, without having nothing at all. You also cannot *have* fewer than 1 friend, 1 piece of apple, or 1 desk.
That's mine. No one else may have it. From now on, every time any scientist counts to 1 as the "necessary first" of a quantity, they must use my unit of measure -- "that given city must have a Bryan passport office", "only the Bryan apple a day keeps the doctor away" (since the second apple does absolutely nothing more), and "my BFF is my Bryan Friend Forever".
There. I can invent the number 1 too you know -- and my invented "1" has a philosophical level to it, so there!
Do you serve Mackie's crisps and Irnbru in flight? I may be interested, send me a brochure.
That the first space tourism would be an orbital hotel? The first steps were always going to be something like this.
As to not advancing anything, well, lets see. A 100% re-usable sub orbital, relatively spacious passenger craft with the ability to be refueled and re-launched (in theory, at least) in hours. A totally unique liftoff system. A totally unique re-entry (yes, I know, NOT from orbital speed but a pretty damn fine piece of tech). As I understand the rocket is the first solid fuel rocket made to be shut down and re-started.
Why are we so negative about the very first steps to the commercialization of space? Something most of us dreamed of all our lives while reading the sci-fi that was so dear to us? Is it just because it's a rich playboy showman doing it?
We didn't get flying cars, and yeah, it ain't a space hotel, but why all the hate?
Donald Trump, on a crusade to make Nixon look respectable
If you've taken a long distance commercial airline flight, you've flown as high as 40,000 feet and 72 percent of the atmosphere was below you. Transatlantic concord passengers flew as high as 60,000 feet above 90 percent of the atmosphere. Virgin Galactic's flights are perfect for those who demand Seenheiser headphones gold-plated monster cables for listing to talk radio. For the rest of us, a commercial airline flight is "close enough."
The ISS (and anything in orbit) is under constant acceleration due to gravity.
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
You're just goofing off.