Space Ship One, half way to collect X Prize | FerrariChat

Space Ship One, half way to collect X Prize

Discussion in 'Other Off Topic Forum' started by WILLIAM H, Sep 29, 2004.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

  1. WILLIAM H

    WILLIAM H Three Time F1 World Champ

    Nov 1, 2003
    35,532
    Victory Circle
    Full Name:
    HUBBSTER
    Awesome, they sorted out some problems from the 1st flight & it went straight up this time. Last time there were some pilot errors that made the trip wobbly. This time the pilot shut down the engine 11 seconds early bcus SS1 started rolling but he still made it over 62 miles up & was able to stop the rolling in space. then he had it upside down & took photos.
    Rutan, Allen, & Space Dev just have to complete 1 more flight within 2 weeks to claim the X Prize. Next flight is planned for Oct 3. Cant wait this is HUGE news


    http://spaceflightnow.com/ss1/040929x1launch.html
     
  2. Jason W

    Jason W Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Oct 31, 2003
    969
    Singapore
    Full Name:
    Jason
    Was watching the stock this afternoon during class. Saw it go from open up to 2.30, then down to ~1.80, and now back up to 2.20.

    I wish I had time (and money) to day trade.
     
  3. Spasso

    Spasso F1 World Champ

    Feb 16, 2003
    14,648
    Land of Slugs & Moss
    Full Name:
    Han Solo
    Just AWESOME! I've been reading about this stuff all of my life and now finally seeing it happen on the private scale.
     
  4. Horsefly

    Horsefly F1 Veteran

    May 14, 2002
    6,929
    Too bad nobody noticed that Cat Stevens had stowed away on board.
     
  5. WILLIAM H

    WILLIAM H Three Time F1 World Champ

    Nov 1, 2003
    35,532
    Victory Circle
    Full Name:
    HUBBSTER
    I thought it was Elvis or maybe ET LOL
     
  6. Forzaholics Anonymous

    Forzaholics Anonymous Formula Junior

    Aug 23, 2004
    679
    So Cal
    Full Name:
    Mike B
    Too cool, and too long in coming.

    I'd love to see private enterprise leave NASA in the dust someday. Don't know if private entepreneurs will be mining the moon before the gov't does but the next 50 years will be interesting.
     
  7. WILLIAM H

    WILLIAM H Three Time F1 World Champ

    Nov 1, 2003
    35,532
    Victory Circle
    Full Name:
    HUBBSTER
    With Paul Allen AND Richard Branson on board its just a matter of time until they get some famous hotel guy like Hilton or Marriot or maybe TRUMP to lay down some Big Bills for a proper hotel/space station & the views will be spectacular, so will the prices :) Doubt they will have a pool though although tanning beds could be sent up

    Once tourism into Low Earth Orbit or LEO become popular then its only a matter of time until someone goes for the Moon.

    I think this is Paul Allens plan. He knows that mining the Moon is the next Microsoft & he wants a piece of that
     
  8. TimN88

    TimN88 F1 Veteran

    Jun 12, 2001
    5,045
    Northeast
    Full Name:
    Tim
    What would they mine the moon for?
     
  9. WILLIAM H

    WILLIAM H Three Time F1 World Champ

    Nov 1, 2003
    35,532
    Victory Circle
    Full Name:
    HUBBSTER
    The Chinese have stated that they are interested in mining the Moon for titanium, water, and Helium 3 which is an excellent fuel source for Nuclear Fusion reactors & is very rare on Earth

    Besides that there most likely will be Gold, platinum & maybe precious stones on the Moon since it was once part of the Earth
     
  10. TimN88

    TimN88 F1 Veteran

    Jun 12, 2001
    5,045
    Northeast
    Full Name:
    Tim
    Does it make sense financially to mine water from the moon? We have a lot of it here. I would even wonder if it makes sense to mine titanium and gold from the moon. It was pretty expensive to send the apollo missions to the moon and they didnt even carry that much stuff and im sure the mining equipment required to mine enough product to make it all worthwhile is rather heavy.
    I may be wrong here, but my thermodynamics professor said that today we are unable to send a man to the moon. All the records and test data from the saturn V rockets and such have been lost of destroyed and it would take alot of time to make it possible again. One guy he knows of collects these records if he can find them because he feels that this stuff should have been saved.
     
  11. mk e

    mk e F1 World Champ

    Oct 31, 2003
    12,899
    The twilight zone
    Full Name:
    The Butcher
    I read a couple years ago that if there were huge gold rocks floating in orbit, it would not be worth going to get them. Mining would be even worse. I don't think that there is a viable financial reason to be in space, maybe if they found tons of platinum on the moon, but that is not likely. Cool though.
     
  12. GrigioGuy

    GrigioGuy Splenda Daddy
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Nov 26, 2001
    29,386
    E ' ' '/ F
    Full Name:
    Trailer Swift
    The point isn't to ship it back, but rather to use it there. Water is a requirement for long-term habitation.
     
  13. WILLIAM H

    WILLIAM H Three Time F1 World Champ

    Nov 1, 2003
    35,532
    Victory Circle
    Full Name:
    HUBBSTER
    Yes, this is the major point. To eventually establish colonies on the Moon and Mars.
    Maybe TODAY we cant go to the Moon but with a few years of research I dont see why now. Werner Von Brain is no longer around but we have supercomputers today and we can easily send robots into orbit & even land on Mars so I dont see why landing on the Moon should be impossible

    In the begining we would have to send up some equipment & robots but eventually the idea is to have self sufficient colonies living off the land & mining it. They will need water, from which they can get oxygen, they will also need nitrogen, iron ore for steel,

    If large amounts of water are found on the Moon or Mars , it may make economic sense to ship some back to the Earth bcus a lot of our water is polluted & as we know water is basic to our lives
     
  14. V-Viper

    V-Viper Karting

    Mar 13, 2004
    134
    Brockton, MA
    Full Name:
    Victor
    You think their stock price will be affected if they make it, or has the market already discounted/whatever it?
     
  15. WILLIAM H

    WILLIAM H Three Time F1 World Champ

    Nov 1, 2003
    35,532
    Victory Circle
    Full Name:
    HUBBSTER
    The stock price is booming now its was $2.40 at close on Fri
    Next flight is supposed to be Oct 3 & they will have a show on Discovery channel Sunday night. I predict the stock will keep going up all day Monday And soften later in the week. I'll be selling Monday :) & buying on friday :)
     
  16. WILLIAM H

    WILLIAM H Three Time F1 World Champ

    Nov 1, 2003
    35,532
    Victory Circle
    Full Name:
    HUBBSTER
    Mark the reality is that the Asteroid belt is the richest mine we know of. It is 1,000 of times larger than the Earth and is full of all the minerals we have on Earth but in Vastly greater quantities. Thats why I always get PO'd at environmentalists who say we have to conserve mineral resources, Its the dumbest thing Ive heard

    Minerals in space are valued at the Earth price + the cost of launching them into orbit which is about to drop considerably from $20,000 per # on the space shuttle to well under $1,000 per pound on Rutans SS2 future space craft that is ready to jump off the drawing board & show NASA how a space shuttle really SHOULD be built :)

    With this cost in mind one AVERAGE size asteroids mineral value in orbit is more valuable than the GNP of the ENTIRE EARTH !!!!!!!!!!!

    This is why as WIRED mag said a few years ago. The owner of the first space mining Co ( most likely Paul Allen or the Chinese Govt at this point)
    will make Micorosoft look like a pauper

    Its very exciting stuff. Rutan & Allen are bringing back the good old days of the 60s but even better & much cheaper & this time we get to get in on the adventure. I am DEFINATELY going for a ride on Virgin Galactic's SS1 or SS2 :)
     
  17. WILLIAM H

    WILLIAM H Three Time F1 World Champ

    Nov 1, 2003
    35,532
    Victory Circle
    Full Name:
    HUBBSTER
    BTW if you want an education in the future of Space Mining, John Lewis book MINING THE SKY is a great start. He is a Prof of Astronomy at Az U or U of Az
     
  18. TimN88

    TimN88 F1 Veteran

    Jun 12, 2001
    5,045
    Northeast
    Full Name:
    Tim
    If we had all those minerals wouldnt that drive the price of them down, and more simply- do we need such a large quantity?
    It seems that going to space for natural resources is a last resort after earth's supply is exhausted.
     
  19. WILLIAM H

    WILLIAM H Three Time F1 World Champ

    Nov 1, 2003
    35,532
    Victory Circle
    Full Name:
    HUBBSTER
    Not really, we need to get there BEFORE our supplies on Earth are exhausted otherwise we are headed for Mad Max style living & I dont want to go there

    Yes a huge limitless abundance of energy & mineral resources would drive the price Way down but thats very good bcus then more poor people will be able to enjoy more energy & more resources and the rest of us can enjoy more as well

    When you look at history our species have always been explorers and we have always occupied new lands. Just look at the US history from the 18th & 19th C when we went west.

    Humans WILL colonize space 1 day in a big way and we WILL have cities on Mars and the Moon and maybe one day a LONG time from now we will look into Interstellar space and colonize other solar systems as well

    I think that humans are like the seeds of planet Earth. The Earth has created us humans to carry her life into space & colonize space, just like dandelion seeds that blow in the wind to land in fertile fields.

    Perhaps humans and other species like us on other planets are the way planets reproduce by sending their seed into the cosmos :)
     
  20. thecarreaper

    thecarreaper F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 30, 2003
    17,564
    Savannah
    yea, the only other thing in nature besides Humans that spreads, colonizes and changes everything it touches is a VIRUS!!! :)
     
  21. TimN88

    TimN88 F1 Veteran

    Jun 12, 2001
    5,045
    Northeast
    Full Name:
    Tim
    I hope we will because if we dont the earth will no doubt become overcrowded and if what i learned in biology is true, something will have to happen to check the population.
     
  22. WILLIAM H

    WILLIAM H Three Time F1 World Champ

    Nov 1, 2003
    35,532
    Victory Circle
    Full Name:
    HUBBSTER
    Right, we have 6 Billion humans now, Imagine if we had 12 Billion on this same Earth all fighting for the same resources. We will have 12 Billion 1 day sooner than we think and if we dont get new resources we will destroy ourselves fighting over a stressed out planet

    We could easily have a Global Easter Island scenario if we are not careful. On Easter Island W of Chile near the Galapagos a civilization of humans existed but they never left the island & they ended up killing themselves off & going cannibal because they ran out of resources
     
  23. JonBrent

    JonBrent Formula Junior

    Nov 10, 2003
    732
    Heaven on Earth
    Full Name:
    JB
    Ok, some of you read too much (or too little) Gibson.

    What makes me mad is the 'and in some distant future' talk - these things should be aggresively happening RIGHT NOW. I for one am really glad these guys are doing the right thing, and continue to push hard.
     
  24. WILLIAM H

    WILLIAM H Three Time F1 World Champ

    Nov 1, 2003
    35,532
    Victory Circle
    Full Name:
    HUBBSTER
    I totally agree with you, Back in the heydays of the 60s when the Right STuff was going full throttle NASA planned on having a manned mission to Mars by 1984 !!!!!!!!!!! Shame it never happened but it will

    Meanwhile, SS1 is 95% sure to launch on Monday to collect the X Prize

    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6145537/?GT1=5402
     
  25. mk e

    mk e F1 World Champ

    Oct 31, 2003
    12,899
    The twilight zone
    Full Name:
    The Butcher
    The statistic I like is that there are more people alive today than have died in the history of humanity. Also more things have been built (read resouces consumed) in the past 100 years than in the combined history of humanity.

    Something needs to change. I did a rough calculation a few years ago and figue that the earth can support about 500 million-1 billion people. Maybe I screwed it up and the answer is 2 billion, we have a big problem coming. I think we have about 100 years or so to get the population down or very bad thinks will happen. Minerals in space are not going to change that.
     

Share This Page