Space Odyssey

Is it a sensible concept?
Burt Rutan and his folks thought out of the box, especially with the design of the wing. They took a minimalist approach, and it works.

What will travelers see and feel?
One good thing about SpaceShipTwo is it will only have a single trajectory, and weightlessness will be brief. That means space sickness won't have time to set in. Upset stomachs in zero-gravity are the bane of astronauts. Given the short time of the flight, the decision every passenger is going to have to make is whether to enjoy flying around or looking out the window. The view should be marvelous as long as there aren't too many clouds. Me? I would look out the window. I can get weightless by going scuba diving.

Virgin Galactic hopes to send up its first passengers next year. Is that realistic?
Probably not. Everything that has to do with spaceflight takes longer than predicted. It's just the nature of the beast. But, on the other hand, this is private enterprise rather than the government doing it. I could be pleasantly surprised.

How much research, testing and trials is required for this kind of thing?
A lot if you're smart, but the day finally comes when you have to go out and fly. Burt Rutan knows the only way to really learn is to light that candle--and he'll do it, too.

So who is Burt Rutan? Should I trust him?
Burt Rutan is the rock star of space. Yes, you can absolutely trust him. He still knows how to use a slide rule, for one thing.

The space shuttle was developed by NASA's finest, but they still lost two of them. Does the private sector really have the know-how and the resources for a venture like this?
The private sector, run by innovative entrepreneurs, definitely has the know-how for a ballistic lob like this, given enough financing. I should point out, however, that carrying passengers to Earth orbit--as the shuttle does--is many magnitudes harder than what SpaceShipTwo is attempting. I look forward to the day when private enterprise takes on the orbital challenge. That's when I think big money is going to be made in terms of space tourism.

© 2008