Andi Kleen wrote:

(Derek Lyons) writes:

Just done in a small fraction of the cost of the X15 and able
to carry more people.

ROTFL. I *love* how everytime someone points out the low performance
of the SS1 as compared to the X-15, or how it only spends a couple of
minutes in 'space' as compared to the Russian 'tourist' flights....
Someone else always parrots the 'its cheaper though! and privately
built! and carries people!" as though that changes things.

And price/performance is an important metric too, even if people
used to the industrial military complex are not always aware of that.

Absolute performance is an *extremely* important metric. Somebody who
insists on comparing very dissimilar craft on price/performance is
someone trying to hide something.

My bet is that the price/performance of the SS1 is significantly
better than that of the X-15.

Which, as I noted above, obscures the lower performance of the SS1.

D.
--
Touch-twice life. Eat. Drink. Laugh.