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Virgin Galactic - Anyone selling watches to pay for a flight

Omegafanman
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It looks like the first full operational test flights over the Virgin Galactic Space Port might happen this weekend, which means tourist trips and some astronaut training will happen probably in 2021.

Space Port / tourists ..... the Sci-Fi future is finally arriving?

Low earth orbit / micro gravity for $250K... crazy money but also crazy cheap compared to current flight costs - and with time that should drop. If it was $10 or $20K how many would or could spend that for the trip?

I wonder what watches the guys and girls will be wearing and any sponsorship knowing Virgin - Maybe Bulova back in space.

(photos 1-5 Virgin Galactic)
 
pdxleaf
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My strata does not include dropping 250k to go into space. But if it did, I would definitely want to do so. Watching any NASA tv or seeing pictures from the ISS cupola, it is mind-blowing to see the Earth from that perspective.

I can't say exactly how much but I place a high value on this flight and am willing to make it a stretch, high cost purchase, if it ever gets to be an option.

The one fear is that it will feel like it's over too fast, like parachuting. You'll be full of adrenaline and on the ground before you know it. There'd be too much stimulation to absorb it all.
 
Omegafanman
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pdxleaf pdxleaf
My strata does not include dropping 250k to go into space. But if it did, I would definitely want to do so. Watching any NASA tv or seeing pictures from the ISS cupola, it is mind-blowing to see the Earth from that perspective.

I can't say exactly how much but I place a high value on this flight and am willing to make it a stretch, high cost purchase, if it ever gets to be an option.

The one fear is that it will feel like it's over too fast, like parachuting. You'll be full of adrenaline and on the ground before you know it. There'd be too much stimulation to absorb it all.

I know the 3 day training at the Spaceport is not needed - it is to add value for money plus hopefully maximise peoples enjoyment of the trip so they know what to do at each stage - Virgin call it the choreography. I guess like anything you need to do it a few times before you get maximum enjoyment. Maybe the people in that strata will book more than one flight. It has taken Virgin 16 years to get here so they have a lot of development to recoup. My gut feel is once they have mined the rich set / early adopters costs will drop + there will be copy-cat competition. It is a huge achievement. If it was / when it is £10K I will do it for sure.
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Omegafanman
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Looks like the flight was aborted … but it will come. Also makes you realise why, much as they need computers Astronauts still demanded a handle / manual option to deploy things like the re-entry chutes on Dragon / Orion

"Our flight today did not reach space as we had been planning," Virgin Galactic chief executive Michael Colglazier said on Saturday. "After being released from its mothership, the spaceship's onboard computer that monitors the rocket motor lost connection.
"As designed, this triggered a fail-safe scenario that intentionally halted ignition of the rocket motor. Following this occurrence, our pilots flew back to Spaceport America and landed gracefully as usual."

Makes you realise the risk to Humanity on those early flights … the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and millionaire real estate fund managers / bankers … Justin Bieber. They need to fully flight prove this thing and make it 100% safe. The potential economic and cultural impact of a loss given the passenger profiles cannot be understated... Or is this our golgafrinchan moment?
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arturo7
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Omegafanman Omegafanman
Makes you realise the risk to Humanity on those early flights … the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and millionaire real estate fund managers / bankers … Justin Bieber. They need to fully flight prove this thing and make it 100% safe. The potential economic and cultural impact of a loss given the passenger profiles cannot be understated... Or is this our golgafrinchan moment?
.

If DiCap and Bieber went down the net cultural impact would be positive.
 
Evitzee
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arturo7 arturo7
If DiCap and Bieber went down the net cultural impact would be positive.
Couldn't have said it better myself. In fact, all of Hollywood could go down and it would be a net benefit.
 
Walrus
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My wife wants to get some shares of this company but yeah one crash full of billionaires would send the stock to 0 quickly. I do wonder if these flights become common and regular will it finally shut the flat earthers up?
 
pdxleaf
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Walrus Walrus
My wife wants to get some shares of this company but yeah one crash full of billionaires would send the stock to 0 quickly. I do wonder if these flights become common and regular will it finally shut the flat earthers up?

Nope. There was enough evidence centuries ago.

Never underestimate stupid.



Buzz know how to deal with stupid:

20201213_112759.jpg
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SpeedyPhill
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For me the very first " space tourist " ( later they used the term " Spaceflight participant " ) was the most amazing...
Toyohiro Akiyama ... a chain-sigaret-smoking Japanese journalist of TBS - Tokyo Broadcasting System who lived & broadcasted during 7 days 21 hours onboard the Soviet-Russian Mir space station in December 1990.
During training he wore a TUDOR 79160 Big BLock chronograph but settled for a Russian-made Poljot 3133 during the actual spaceflight mission.
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MoonwatchUniverse_Japan.jpg
 
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