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Old January 13th 05, 01:59 AM
Alain Fournier
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Timo S Saloniemi wrote:

In article Alain Fournier writes:


No. There isn't an overwhelming public support for suborbital flights.
Yet suborbital flights have recently become an existing business.
The same can happen for Mars travel. More likely, it will be the
suborbital flights business that will slowly evolve into a broader
space flight business.



I can't really see THAT happening. There just isn't growth potential
in suborbital flights, which never actually go anywhere and do not
require (or feature) the sort of technology that is needed to go places.
In fact, diverting money and interest to suborbital tourism will
probably *lessen* interest in "real" spaceflight...


Manned suborbital flights are currently a private enterprise thing.
Manned orbital flights are currently a government thing. Private
businesses aren't diverting money away from governments, in fact
when suborbital flights will make a profit they will be paying
taxes to governments.

It is easier for businesses to start with suborbital than to go
directly to orbital, once a suborbital business is making profits
it is easier for them to get funding for an orbital business. If you
never did any manned rocket launching it is very difficult to get the
attention of investors for such a big project as a manned orbital
launching service.

Manned suborbital flights don't create profit that would feed relevant
subcontractors (besides some small-scale model airplane firms and their
peanut bag providers). They offer no possibilities of industrial
applications, whereas there are plenty in suborbital unmanned flight
and orbital flight.


Right. Manned suborbital flights aren't about building stuff it is
about joy rides. If suborbital flights become as big a business
as Disney World then you have a revenue stream big enough to
develop orbital, lunar and martian space tourism.

Alain Fournier