Billionaires IN SPACEEEEEEE

Radegast74

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Ok, since nobody else has posted it, I guess I gotta (rolls up sleeves...)

Whaddya think of Branson going up first and beating Bezos? Don't care? Neither do I, except Bezos seems pretty pissed about it lol
View: https://twitter.com/blueorigin/status/1413521627116032001


Of course, Branson has his own (self-indulgent) view of his trip:
View: https://twitter.com/richardbranson/status/1413917659805143043


And if anybody really cares, here is a link to watch Branson's "epic" voyage:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTpWYWIfP7Y


Gratuitous picture of Bezos looking like a douche:
DoucheBezos.jpg
 

Vavrik

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This is nothing... Just wait to see what happens to the first billionaire to mine metals from an asteroid. Technically it doesn't have to be a billionaire, but the first guy to do that is going to be the first trillionaire.
 

NaffNaffBobFace

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Hmmm, just read the article I wasn't aware Mr. Bezos has his own craft too, and that Mr. Branson was also taking passengers with him. both sub orbital, one a spaceplane the other a rocket...

Both eclypsed by spacex which has already put loads of payloads into orbit...

I don't think in the long run it will matter, whatever part of the world will remember their candidate.

Ask someone in the UK who invented TV and it's John Logie Baird's semi-machanical system (the first), ask someone in the US and it's more likely Philo Farnsworth who's fully electronic system went on to be the foundation of modern broadcasting.
 

Radegast74

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Both eclypsed by spacex which has already put loads of payloads into orbit...

I don't think in the long run it will matter
Exactly...in the long run, this doesn't really matter...this has as much to do with "Space Exploration" as Craigslist classified ad writing has to do with great literature..
 

NaffNaffBobFace

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Exactly...in the long run, this doesn't really matter...this has as much to do with "Space Exploration" as Craigslist classified ad writing has to do with great literature..
I don't know... if a Space Plane can continue development and make suborbital a regular achievement that's going to change long-haul air travel as it'd make a flight from UK to Australia something like 1 hour, literally shorter than an in-flight movie, instead of 20 hours at present... edge-of-space air travel could be revolutionary in a different avenue. Makes sense the owner of an airline would be interested in sub-orbital aircraft...

It would be even more revolutionary than SpaceX if a spaceplane could eventually be built which could take off from the ground, fly up to current launch altitude on conventional engines, then rockets up to orbital, and then reverse the process and fly back down again on its own... it could make any runway a spaceport... as if the world wasn't small enough already :-)

You could be right though, it could all come to nothing... we'll have to see how it goes.
 
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Lorddarthvik

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I don't know... if a Space Plane can continue development and make suborbital a regular achievement that's going to change long-haul air travel as it'd make a flight from UK to Australia something like 1 hour, literally shorter than an in-flight movie, instead of 20 hours at present... edge-of-space air travel could be revolutionary in a different avenue. Makes sense the owner of an airline would be interested in sub-orbital aircraft...

It would be even more revolutionary than SpaceX if a spaceplane could eventually be built which could take off from the ground, fly up to current launch altitude on conventional engines, then rockets up to orbital, and then reverse the process and fly back down again on its own... it could make any runway a spaceport... as if the world wasn't small enough already :-)

You could be right though, it could all come to nothing... we'll have to see how it goes.
I guess the number of billionaires who would actually afford a flight like that and willing to take it on a regular enough basis is minimal, as in single digits max. Your regular millionaires who need a quick ride can always commission a private jet. It's at the levels of calling a taxi at this point. I have a friend who works as a manager for such a company and it is really that simple as making a phonecall, and an hour later you are sitting on a private plane with champagne in hand on your way from London to Shanghai...
It will take a lot of doing to overcome the convenience of the above "peasent millionaire" mode of travel, as in not having to book a suborbital flight 2 years in advance lol
 

NaffNaffBobFace

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I guess the number of billionaires who would actually afford a flight like that and willing to take it on a regular enough basis is minimal, as in single digits max. Your regular millionaires who need a quick ride can always commission a private jet. It's at the levels of calling a taxi at this point. I have a friend who works as a manager for such a company and it is really that simple as making a phonecall, and an hour later you are sitting on a private plane with champagne in hand on your way from London to Shanghai...
It will take a lot of doing to overcome the convenience of the above "peasent millionaire" mode of travel, as in not having to book a suborbital flight 2 years in advance lol
They have 600 pre orders for day trips at £250,000 a go already, Jeff Bezos makes between $8 and $9 million an hour and it isn't worth Bill Gates time to bend down and pick up a $50 if he drops one... But, really, the technology has to start somewhere.

If they can continue making a profit while working on the technology and new craft designs, maybe one day they'll get the cost per person per flight down to £30,000 a trip it would be affordable for getting urgent people like CEO's to where they need to be ASAP... if they can get the cost down to £10,000 a ticket it will be affordable for business to get their urgent staff across the world and back home again in a day, and once mass transit craft have been designed following the successes of the initial models, the world is at your doorstep. An hour to Australia, Take a 30 minutes flight to the orient, 20 minutes to the US... What may once have taken 14 days non-stop by steam packet may end up taking less time by sub-orbital than it'll take to drive overland to your nearest airport.

One day, maybe, one day.
 

Shadow Reaper

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I think Branson missed his opportunity by taking 17 years to get to space. Had he got there ten years ago he would have recouped his investment long ago. Now he has to compete with Blue Origin and SpaceX both of whom are going orbital, so not just some 4 minute adventure--the real thing. Going orbital will soon mean access to hotels on orbit (read Bigelow) where people can play in zero gee for weeks at a time.

Both Blue Origin and SpaceX are also going to offer suborbital, 1 hour flight service across the world. SpaceX's is already working with US DOD to use their Starship to deliver 1,200 soldiers anywhere in the world. One supposes they'll come to a different number but with some vehicles, etc., but you get the idea. Point to point travel across the world on a suborbital trajectory that can tail land the way Musk has been doing now for years. Astonishing. The same rocket will be able to go to the Moon and Mars, but needs to be refueled so those will require more than one launch.

Since this is all my expertise area I'll also weigh in and say I still don't think anyone can make money with a space mining scheme until some form of propellantless propulsion emerges. That is the holy grail form of propulsion needed and it isn't helping anyone to pretend we can do stuff like that with chemical rockets. Just not gonna happen, IMHO. NGT is completely unfamiliar with the economics of space travel to think mining could happen with chemical rockets.
 

Radegast74

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LOL, so the Bezos space ship is scheduled for launch, but guess what? One of the people who purchased a ticket (for USD 29.7 million, as in, $29,700,000) can't make the flight due to a "scheduling conflict."

Which begs the question, what kind of a conflict do you need to have that is more important than going into space for a quick jaunt? I'm really curious...

Now I know billionaire's are different than me...I don't have anything going on that I couldn't switch around at a moments notice, lol.
The winner of Blue Origin’s auction, who has asked to remain anonymous at this time, has chosen to fly on a future New Shepard mission **due to scheduling conflicts**.
see the second paragraph of the press release, below the big photo of the kid of the other millionaire/billionaire? who is taking the original billionaire's spot:


 
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CitizenDad

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Screenshot_20210722-100950.png







"X-Rated Adult Toy Making Fun of Bezos' Rocket Ship Garners Cheeky Response From Elon Musk" https://www.entrepreneur.com/amphtml/378018
 

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