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Airlines are less than Thrilled with the Billionaire Space Race

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posted on Jun, 27 2018 @ 12:55 PM
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It seems that the launches are causing nontrivial delays and airspace closures the airlines are facing are something of a headache. The February 6th launch of the FalconHeavy delayed 563 flights and added a whole 62 miles to flights. This was just for California and one flight. Historically, the Cape has been the center of commercial space flight, but that is about to change. There is Spaceport America, in NM, where Branson (someday) will be flying tourists into space. There is now Vandenberg, which has had gov launches in the past, will now start seeing more frequent launches due to commercial activity. There are also the two Texas launch sites (Blue Origin in West Texas and SpaceX in very southern texas). Finally, others are attempting to get in on the action as well: Wallops on the east coast and Alaska's launch site.

With the addition of all these spaceports, airspace closures are going to become more and more common. With bigger and bigger headaches for purely air travel. And the airlines are NOT happy.

Honestly, I'd say the FAA is going to have to set things up so those airspaces are no go zones: if Musk and Bezos are going to be flying daily (as they hope) the locales will be pretty much always closed to air traffic...

www.bloomberg.com...



posted on Jun, 27 2018 @ 01:23 PM
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a reply to: anzha

So are you saying that although the launch dates for the spaceports is scheduled way in advance that the airlines ignore this public info and schedule their flights during those times in those areas anyway only to act surprised and frustrated when the day finally rolls around?

Perhaps the team in charge of scheduling flights ought to anticipate space launches and incorporate that into their plans?



posted on Jun, 27 2018 @ 01:35 PM
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Why would flights need to be delayed at all for something like that? What are the real possibilities or probability that the Launch would some how hit a plane?



posted on Jun, 27 2018 @ 01:38 PM
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a reply to: muzzleflash

No, but they aren't going to disrupt their schedule by canceling flights that have been regularly scheduled for years in some cases to avoid the launch area on one given day.
edit on 6/27/2018 by Zaphod58 because: (no reason given)



posted on Jun, 27 2018 @ 01:38 PM
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a reply to: SR1TX

They can't even launch if there are boats in the area of the launch pads. The chances might be remote, but all it takes is once.



posted on Jun, 27 2018 @ 01:38 PM
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originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: muzzleflash

No, but they aren't going to disrupt their schedule to avoid the launch area on one given day.


Than how are the flights being delayed?

Obviously they are having their schedules disrupted.



posted on Jun, 27 2018 @ 01:40 PM
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originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: SR1TX

They can't even launch if there are boats in the area of the launch pads. The chances might be remote, but all it takes is once.


Well then clearly the rules need to be fixed...



posted on Jun, 27 2018 @ 01:41 PM
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a reply to: muzzleflash

It's less of a disruption than canceling the flight that they've sold tickets, in some cases a year ahead of time, because SpaceX suddenly decides to launch. They lose less money this way, but it still causes problems.



posted on Jun, 27 2018 @ 01:41 PM
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a reply to: muzzleflash

Have to fly around the restricted airspace.

Also, launches often have windows of time they can fly in and they can and do slip from the original time. Sometimes to the next day or even next week. Some times they try multiple days in a row. That causes an airspace closure each time.



posted on Jun, 27 2018 @ 01:42 PM
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a reply to: muzzleflash

And what happens on that one in a million time when a rocket blows up, and a piece of debris hits a commercial flight, because the rules were "fixed"?



posted on Jun, 27 2018 @ 01:47 PM
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originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: muzzleflash

And what happens on that one in a million time when a rocket blows up, and a piece of debris hits a commercial flight, because the rules were "fixed"?


One in a million time....

Why would anyone ever be brave enough to even go outside?
What if you're in a car wreck? What if you step on a nail?
What if what if what if??

This mentality is absurdity.



posted on Jun, 27 2018 @ 01:49 PM
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Forget it.
edit on 6/27/2018 by Zaphod58 because: (no reason given)



posted on Jun, 27 2018 @ 02:00 PM
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a reply to: muzzleflash

Are you aware of the damage a rocket can do? They are NOT just funny shaped airliners. Rockets have far, far more energy in them. The N-1 rocket the soviets built to go to the Moon, their equivalent of our Saturn V, exploded with the equivalent of 40 kilotons of TNT: almost 2x the power of the Nagasaki atomic bombing.

A FalconHeavy is far far smaller, but still an explosion would be in excess of a kiloton.

That's in the tactical nuclear weapon arena.

Hence, safety.

And the odds are actually much higher than one in a million.
edit on 27-6-2018 by anzha because: mistyped 3 instead of 2



posted on Jun, 27 2018 @ 02:15 PM
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originally posted by: anzha
a reply to: muzzleflash

Are you aware of the damage a rocket can do? They are NOT just funny shaped airliners. Rockets have far, far more energy in them. The N-1 rocket the soviets built to go to the Moon, their equivalent of our Saturn V, exploded with the equivalent of 40 kilotons of TNT: almost 2x the power of the Nagasaki atomic bombing.

A FalconHeavy is far far smaller, but still an explosion would be in excess of a kiloton.

That's in the tactical nuclear weapon arena.

Hence, safety.

And the odds are actually much higher than one in a million.


Um, my sources say it was roughly 1 kt.


N1 launch explosion
Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 110
3 July 1969
1 kt of TNT (4 TJ)


Li st of explosions

Where the hell did you come up with those excessive numbers?



posted on Jun, 27 2018 @ 02:34 PM
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a reply to: muzzleflash

Other sources, but I'm done.



posted on Jun, 27 2018 @ 03:23 PM
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I'm curious about how long it'll be before the inevitable launch failure happens, and Tim Cook or Mark Zuckerberg or some other famous billionaire ends up scattered across the Florida coast.



posted on Jun, 27 2018 @ 03:27 PM
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a reply to: AndyFromMichigan

Virgin Galactic already had a pretty spectacular failure. It'll happen sooner or later. Whether it's manned or not will be the question.



posted on Jun, 27 2018 @ 03:58 PM
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a reply to: muzzleflash

Investigating accidents then establishing rules and regulations is what has made driving to the airport more dangerous than flying in the plane.

How would you like to live in a nation where you had to remove two regulations to establish a new one...oh wait!



posted on Jun, 27 2018 @ 03:59 PM
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a reply to: AndyFromMichigan

Not exactly private, but Wallops had an Antares go boom:




posted on Jun, 27 2018 @ 04:02 PM
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a reply to: anzha

You are probably right about establishing no go zones. Make a SUA where most of the time the planes will get permission to fly though. Kind of like the TTR on weekends.




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