One ticket to space, please.

[Tsukiyumi]

Personally, I think private-industry spaceflight is the best hope of a future where such things are common, so this is rather good news.

http://www.spacedaily.com/2006/08012322 ... s981w.html

[Mikey]

Why don't we focus our efforts toward ensuring that more than just a handful of people have $200,000 to throw away?

[Tsukiyumi]

The initial (expensive) investment in the technology has to be covered before people will put any more money into its development. So, the first private citizens in space will invariably be wealthy people. The cost has been stated to decrease as the volume of sales increases.

[Mikey]

Hooray. Meanwhile, I'll be down here, busting my hump to feed my family.

[Tsukiyumi]

I understand that, brother, but this private-industry space tourism is like someone going on a cruise, or such. I guess it's their money to spend, regardless of whether I'd think it could be spent better elsewhere.

[Teaos]

I have always said space needs to be privatised. NASA was great back in the day but now its holding back space exploration.

[Mikey]

I understand that, brother, but this private-industry space tourism is like someone going on a cruise, or such. I guess it's their money to spend, regardless of whether I'd think it could be spent better elsewhere.

Oh, I'm not saying that Branson can't spend his money as he likes... I'm just griping about how little I have in comparison.

I have always said space needs to be privatised. NASA was great back in the day but now its holding back space exploration.

Yeah, they sure haven't matched New Zealand's contributions lately...

[Teaos]

NASA is holding back space development at the moment not helping it.

Having a population sitting around 4 million and being a fare distance away from the equator kinda limits your space programme. But if you ever need sheep or pine trees you know who to go to.

[Mikey]

Really? I would have thought that you would have more deciduous trees than pines over there.

And I sort of get what you're saying about NASA, but it's not really accurate to say that they've held anything back because until Branson stepped up, nobody made any truly serious bids to do anything privately.

[Teaos]

The way NASA holds back space travel is that there is no competition. Ideally it should be set up with a couple of companies like military contracts where a government throws out a contract to get a satillite to Mars or to build the space station and the numerous companies bid for it. That helps them get established and use there expertise and equipment they have to further public space travel which helps science exploration even more.

Nah New Zealands commercial forests are 90% pine. Our native forest is mostly evergreen to.

[Monroe]

Makes me want to save up money for a trip to space. Now I just need a good source of money...

I think the private sector is great for this because they'll find a cheaper way to get things into space which is what we need desperately. NASA can't start doing manned missions to mars and things like that without overcoming the problem of the insane costs involved.

[Mikey]

I agree with your point, Teaos; but NASA isn't really to blame for the fact that nobody else stepped up until Branson. If they fought the idea, then I'd buy the idea of placing blame with them.

[Sionnach Glic]

NASA has, unfortunately, been doing far less every year since the Cold War. Say what you want about having the planet on the brink of nuclear war, but that era did wonders for technological inovation. Without a rival, NASA can continue to stagnate while still being the best space-related group around. The ESA needs to hurry up.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

I'm glad this is finally happening. Sure, the costs are high now, but usually that's what it is at first. It'll go down.