X-Prize: Da Vinci to fly Oct. 2nd

Another BBC story:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3539018.stm

"A Canadian team has said it will challenge SpaceShipOne for the Ansari
X-Prize by sending its privately-funded craft to space on 2 October."

The BBC site also notes Rutan's flight dates, which I hadn't noticed
before - I knew the first was for the 29th, but it gives a planning date
of the 4th for the second one.

(October 4th is the 47th anniversary of Sputnik I's launch, on a
historical note)

Interesting...

--
-Andrew Gray

On 2004-08-06, Alain Fournier wrote:


Andrew Gray wrote:

Another BBC story:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3539018.stm

"A Canadian team has said it will challenge SpaceShipOne for the Ansari
X-Prize by sending its privately-funded craft to space on 2 October."

The BBC site also notes Rutan's flight dates, which I hadn't noticed
before - I knew the first was for the 29th, but it gives a planning date
of the 4th for the second one.

(October 4th is the 47th anniversary of Sputnik I's launch, on a
historical note)

Interesting...

When was the last time that three human space flights were
scheduled in a six day time span? When was the last time
that four were scheduled in a sixteen day time span? :-)

If DaVinci fly twice, in the prize's time constraints, five...

--
-Andrew Gray

Andrew Gray wrote:

Another BBC story:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3539018.stm

"A Canadian team has said it will challenge SpaceShipOne for the Ansari
X-Prize by sending its privately-funded craft to space on 2 October."

The BBC site also notes Rutan's flight dates, which I hadn't noticed
before - I knew the first was for the 29th, but it gives a planning date
of the 4th for the second one.

(October 4th is the 47th anniversary of Sputnik I's launch, on a
historical note)

Interesting...

When was the last time that three human space flights were
scheduled in a six day time span? When was the last time
that four were scheduled in a sixteen day time span? :-)

Alain Fournier

"Andrew Gray" wrote in message
. ..
Another BBC story:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3539018.stm

"A Canadian team has said it will challenge SpaceShipOne for the Ansari
X-Prize by sending its privately-funded craft to space on 2 October."

The BBC site also notes Rutan's flight dates, which I hadn't noticed
before - I knew the first was for the 29th, but it gives a planning date
of the 4th for the second one.

(October 4th is the 47th anniversary of Sputnik I's launch, on a
historical note)

Interesting...

I'm afraid the Da Vinci team effort will result in people getting killed. I
wonder what impact this will have on the FAA's approval for Rutan's flight.

BitBanger wrote:

I'm afraid the Da Vinci team effort will result in people getting killed. I
wonder what impact this will have on the FAA's approval for Rutan's flight.

Zero.

BitBanger wrote:

"Andrew Gray" wrote in message
. ..

Another BBC story:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3539018.stm

"A Canadian team has said it will challenge SpaceShipOne for the Ansari
X-Prize by sending its privately-funded craft to space on 2 October."

The BBC site also notes Rutan's flight dates, which I hadn't noticed
before - I knew the first was for the 29th, but it gives a planning date
of the 4th for the second one.

(October 4th is the 47th anniversary of Sputnik I's launch, on a
historical note)

Interesting...


I'm afraid the Da Vinci team effort will result in people getting killed. I
wonder what impact this will have on the FAA's approval for Rutan's flight.




None.

On 2004-08-06, BitBanger wrote:

"Andrew Gray" wrote in message
. ..
Another BBC story:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3539018.stm

"A Canadian team has said it will challenge SpaceShipOne for the Ansari
X-Prize by sending its privately-funded craft to space on 2 October."

The BBC site also notes Rutan's flight dates, which I hadn't noticed
before - I knew the first was for the 29th, but it gives a planning date
of the 4th for the second one.

(October 4th is the 47th anniversary of Sputnik I's launch, on a
historical note)

Interesting...

I'm afraid the Da Vinci team effort will result in people getting killed. I
wonder what impact this will have on the FAA's approval for Rutan's flight.

The FAA are quite aware, I suspect, that an experimental
aircraft/spacecraft/device will tend to crash every now and then, and
that crashes are often nasty.

--
-Andrew Gray

Andrew Gray wrote:
On 2004-08-06, BitBanger wrote:

"Andrew Gray" wrote in message
k...

Another BBC story:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3539018.stm

"A Canadian team has said it will challenge SpaceShipOne for the Ansari
X-Prize by sending its privately-funded craft to space on 2 October."

The BBC site also notes Rutan's flight dates, which I hadn't noticed
before - I knew the first was for the 29th, but it gives a planning date
of the 4th for the second one.

(October 4th is the 47th anniversary of Sputnik I's launch, on a
historical note)

Interesting...

I'm afraid the Da Vinci team effort will result in people getting killed. I
wonder what impact this will have on the FAA's approval for Rutan's flight.


The FAA are quite aware, I suspect, that an experimental
aircraft/spacecraft/device will tend to crash every now and then, and
that crashes are often nasty.


The FAA is not only the consideration. If someone gets killed in the
Da Vinci rocket or early on in one of the competing programs, there will
hue and cry from those opposed to manned space programs on the talk
shows and by a congressman or two condemning the X Prize as encouraging
people to engage in reckless and dangerous behavior. I would bet there
will be pressure brought on the FAA to put a stop to issuing approvals
for privately funded space craft flights. People may get killed in
experimental plane crashes, but people are used to that.

If between all the various competing space craft, they get up to
around 15 to 20 flights to 100 km + without a fatality, then the hue &
cry will carry a lot less weight when someone does get killed. If it
happens in the first few attempts, especially if it occurs on a slow new
day, then there will be a lot more negative press on it which will hurt
all the private programs.

Alan Figgatt

In article ,
Alan Figgatt wrote:

The FAA is not only the consideration. If someone gets killed in the
Da Vinci rocket or early on in one of the competing programs, there will
hue and cry from those opposed to manned space programs on the talk
shows and by a congressman or two condemning the X Prize as encouraging
people to engage in reckless and dangerous behavior.

I don't think you understand the psychology of the American public (or
politician). If Canadians kill themselves in "some crazy rocket scheme"
while the American competitors fly to success, those folks you're
thinking of will mostly be proud of "American ingenuity" and feel sorry
for the Canadian team. (This is an unusual case of arrogance leading to
a benign outcome.)

I would bet there
will be pressure brought on the FAA to put a stop to issuing approvals
for privately funded space craft flights. People may get killed in
experimental plane crashes, but people are used to that.

The FAA isn't issuing an approval for this Canadian flight, is it?

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Joe Strout wrote:

In article ,
Alan Figgatt wrote:


The FAA is not only the consideration. If someone gets killed in the
Da Vinci rocket or early on in one of the competing programs, there will
hue and cry from those opposed to manned space programs on the talk
shows and by a congressman or two condemning the X Prize as encouraging
people to engage in reckless and dangerous behavior.


I don't think you understand the psychology of the American public (or
politician). If Canadians kill themselves in "some crazy rocket scheme"
while the American competitors fly to success, those folks you're
thinking of will mostly be proud of "American ingenuity" and feel sorry
for the Canadian team. (This is an unusual case of arrogance leading to
a benign outcome.)


I would bet there
will be pressure brought on the FAA to put a stop to issuing approvals
for privately funded space craft flights. People may get killed in
experimental plane crashes, but people are used to that.


The FAA isn't issuing an approval for this Canadian flight, is it?



And barring something new, the FAA is perfectly willing to let people
kill themselves doing stuff like this..