On 10/27/2010 11:35 AM, Ian Parker wrote:

You have a touching faith in private enterprise. Private enterprise
can do amazing things, it set Google up. Private enterprise though :-

1) Cannot work miracles.
2) Is out to make a profit.

Virgin Galactic is not a particularly good example. It is an expensive
sub orbital ride. For the price I would want an orbital flight. Lets
face it the guys in NASA or ESA are the smartest around. If they are
told to brainstorm they will, in all probability, come up with rather
better ideas than the typical member of this group.

Explain how SpaceX is getting ready to do their second Falcon 9 launch
with a operational standard Dragon capsule on it for a complete orbital
mission and recovery, while NASA's efforts in the same direction haven't
even yielded a operational version of the first stage of the Ares I booster?

Pat