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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.
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.
char*f="char*f=%c%s%c;main(){printf(f,34,f,34);}";main(){printf(f,34,f,34);}
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"
So if I'm somewhere between the Sun and Alpha Centauri, but I happen to have no velocity with respect to the Earth, then I'm not in space?
i don't know, but you are certainly breaking several laws of physics to do it.
100km you imperial-unit-morons!
It seems you are confused. Anyway, good operating systems report file sizes correctly so there's no discrepancies to be concerned about.
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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!
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