Two Radically Different Approaches to Private Access to Space (gizmag.com)

Zothecula writes: Commercial spaceflight company World View came a step closer to carrying tourists to the edge of space with a successful test flight last weekend. At Page, Arizona, a one-tenth scale replica spacecraft was carried by high-altitude ballon to a height of 100,475 ft (30,624 m) to demonstrate the technology that is intended for use in a full-size version slated to begin commercial flights next year. And with a note on the other end of the size spectrum for private access to space, reader Habberhead writes: As reported first by Wired Magazine and followed on by others including Discovery News, start-up company ThumbSat is aiming to provide turn-key access to space for students, experimenters and citizen scientists with a new femto-satellite and creative business model. Small payloads and experiments in space for $20k, including the launch? Sign me up!

Comments

Re:None of this is access to space

[PopeRatzo]

How about getting us off this rock before we're wiped out by an asteroid?

I'm not sure if anyone's told you, but there are asteroids in space, too.

Space nutters are going to cheat death by having an asteroid kill them on Mars instead of in their nice warm beds on Earth.