X-prize contender rocket explodes

"A rocket belonging to a team taking a low-budget stab at the $10m (�5.7m) Ansari X-prize has exploded less than 1,000 feet into the air."

BBc
Less than 1,000 feet and it was also carrying 3 dummies representing 3 humans just imagine if 3 real people had been inside. If I where these people id leave this type of thing to nasa if something was to go wrong you would have 3 dead people on your hands all for the sake of a prize its not even worth it.


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[edit on 9/8/2004 by SE7EN]

thats the whole point of using dummies. It is a test. NASA had rockets exploding, so have everyone else.

If left to government orgs, then space travel would be costly, innefficient and left in the hands of people whose culture is to be secretive.

If private orgs got into space, that would provide the impetus for mankinds drive into the void.................

I know it was a test but that why I am also saying they should leave it to people with better knowledge in these things. If this had been real these people would be dead and that is why I�m saying is $10 million worth the price of 3 human people The x-prize is interesting and is testing the boundaries of private space engineers but when it comes to human lives that�s is where the line should be drawn.

People are going to have to risk their lives if they ever want to achieve their dreams of space travel. Comes with the territory. You want to launch yourself at crazy speeds up away from the rock that we are pinned to then that is your choice I suppose. Me, I will never go that high up.

They are adults, and are as qualified as the engineers in NASA, Russia or China. Just because you work for NASA doesn't make you any more qualified.

Someone has to take the first risk, if we didnt we would all be sat around doing nothing. I applaud the bravery of these men. It isnt about the prize money, as most of the X-prize contenders have spent far and away more than $10 million doing their research. It is about being the first,and developing affordable, re-usable space vehicles.

Look at the lack of Progress NASA has made on its re-usable craft, but then look at what these private orgs have achieved!!! It is magnificient! And to say we should leave it to a stuffy, bearaucractic Government org is belittling the efforts of these pioneers.

well everyone is each to their own! I think what there doing is good but also to me seem's like a childhood dream lets build a rocket and go into space the reason I said NASA is they have 50 years experience is space travel which I think counts for a lot.

Its like I used to go watch them fly remote control planes down the feilds on a sunday with my dad but these fly $$$$$$$$$$$$$$ rockets that blow up weekend rocket kids.

[edit on 9/8/2004 by SE7EN]

They are far from Weekend rocket kids, check out the background of the guys doing this (this is the SpaceShipOne team), and you might change your mind:

SpaceShipOne pilots

Or look at the history of the compnay behind it..... definately not weekend hobbyists!!!

Scaled Composites

Where would we be today if no one ever took risks? As stated already, the X-prize isn't about the money. It's about reaching new boundaries. Some people might die in the process, but that has always happened and always will. Incase you're forgetting. NASA had lost some lives not too long ago and they have lost lives befor.

Anyways no one died in that rocket that exploded. That team will learn from there mistakes and they will fix it and test it till it's right and seems safe. That's how things work.

I am sure there will be plenty of more tests with dummies before they put humans in there. Anyone that sits atop of a firecracker can expect a chance to be burned. Personally.... I would take the plunge. Life is not without risks....

at least it wasnt those nutters from salford univesity

their landing module is going to be the mixer from a cement truck


Cheers


Debaser

SE7EN, I don't think you will find many people here who would agree with you.
Nasa has had there chance to make spase travel easier, cheaper, and more common. They failed.

I like the idea of the X-Prize, most of these people entering its not all about the prize, they just want to go to space in there life-times and have given up on Nasa.

Although this groop obliviously didn't spend enough time testing their rocket engines they will pay for it, and i'm not just talking money, they will go down in history as the first failed attempt at the X-Prize (not exacly gonna make the customers come rolling in). But they said that they built this rocket for 20,000. So of course its gonna fail.

Stumason:

Look at the lack of Progress NASA has made on its re-usable craft, but then look at what these private orgs have achieved!!! It is magnificient! And to say we should leave it to a stuffy, bearaucractic Government org is belittling the efforts of these pioneers.

I'm Assuming your refering to Burt Rutan's Space Ship One, and although that is a good step in the right direction, it's not really comparable to The Shuttle. Going sub-orbital is alot easier then going all the way to space.

Sub orbital is a good enough start for me

And I was refferring to SS1, although there are some others I am keeping my eye on too.

I fully expect lives and equipment to be lost during this period of private space flight. No great technological achievement has developed otherwise. I respect what they are doing completely and wish them the best in their goals.

NASA proceeds too cautiously as far as I'm concerned. They worry too much about failures leading to budget cuts and loss of public support. I'm not saying we should be careless, but sheesh, our space program has been stagnant for decades, we need endeavors like this to kick things into gear again.

More power to them I say, their doing it out of a genuine desire to explore space. They aren't motivated by just trying to outdo another country. We need to garner a genuine desire to explore space just because its there. If we left these sort of things up to public support we would probably still be driving around in horse drawn buggies...OK, that's a stretch but you get my point hopefully.

In an age when new frontiers are becoming rare space travel is one of last things to be conquered. Its expensive, dangerous, and difficult. The members of the groups are all be hard-working and educated people, yet it won't be easy making commercial space flight possible. It just wasn't meant to be, the odds of getting into space are against small and large companies. But, like pioneers anywhere, they are survivors first. Some will get there and some will live to see it. They will turn the dream into a reality. This will become our generations story...


hehe, the article above is vary much similar to the introduction of a new movie script im writing for my own independent colonial organization....

I say good for these guys for having the balls to give it a try. This is something that is lost with our current space program. Our current system simply rides the success of those from back in the 60's and 70's. No one has the courage to try anything new. If it wasn't for guys like this we'd still be orbiting the earth 50 years from now.

Originally posted by Indy
I say good for these guys for having the balls to give it a try. This is something that is lost with our current space program. Our current system simply rides the success of those from back in the 60's and 70's. No one has the courage to try anything new. If it wasn't for guys like this we'd still be orbiting the earth 50 years from now.

No we wouldn't. Did you forget that Nasa wants to go to the moon and mars and beyond. Plus these are just sub-orbital ships, they can't leave earths orbit.

If we hadn't pursued flight after the first casualties in the early years of this discovery or outlawed the automobile when the first few people were killed because it was a dangerous contraption, we'd have a perfect life. Outlaw factories where machinery may kill someone when these things aren't properly maintained. Break out the candles and go feed the horses.

Nasa wants to go to the moon. Again. We were only there 30+ years ago. What have we accomplished when it comes to space travel in 30 years? Not a damn thing. We have actually taken a step backwards in my opinion. Nearly 35 years ago we made it to the moon (in theory) and to this date we have gone no further. In fact after a couple of times we didn't even go back. The speed in which we got to the moon and the fact that since the invention of tracking systems we haven't gone back does lend credibility to the idea that we never went in the first place.

Yeah, NASA has a really ggod track record don't they? How many ships with humans aboard have we lost again? Oh and lets not forget the Mars flub. FYI, there's quite a difference between meters and feet..come on guys, this ain't rocket science!

Indy: The reason we haven't gone back is because the only vehicle we have to get into space is the shuttle. Since NASA focused on making a reusable vehicle and basicly dumped the saturn rockets, they have limited themselves. The shuttle can't leave the low Earth orbit and it's not like NASA has the budget to design and build a new vehicle at this time. There has been talk, but that's it.

We went to the moon more than a couple times. We went 6 times in total (would have been 7 if apollo 13 didn't run into problems). But yeah i just think the reason we never went back was that NASA changed it's focus onto other things after the Apollo missions. But then basicly ended up limiting itself too much with that. And now NASA is a bureaucratically bloated angency with not enough money.