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Madonna could be sent into space in 2009 - Russian Space Agency



 
 
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  #11  
Old September 17th 06, 08:10 PM posted to sci.space.station
Jochem Huhmann
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Default Madonna could be sent into space in 2009 - Russian Space Agency

Frank Glover writes:

Z 1 Y 0 N 3 X wrote:
I agree, I think the whole space tourism thing should be flushed, if
not, modified. I don't think $20,000,000 is enough for a tourist at
this beginning point in time.


The Russians provide the service, they're the ones who decide what's
an acceptable price.

Soyuz doesn't cost as much to lanuch as the shuttle, and;

They may not be trying to break-even on it, anyway.


Back in the Tito (or Shuttleworth, I don't remember which) days it was
said that the 20 millions would pay not only for one, but for two
complete launches. So $10,000,000 might be what a Soyuz launch actually
costs and the Russians may just turn a fair profit out of every tourist
launched.


Jochem

--
"A designer knows he has arrived at perfection not when there is no
longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away."
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery
  #12  
Old September 18th 06, 12:05 AM posted to sci.space.station
hop
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Posts: 90
Default Madonna could be sent into space in 2009 - Russian Space Agency

Jochem Huhmann wrote:

Back in the Tito (or Shuttleworth, I don't remember which) days it was
said that the 20 millions would pay not only for one, but for two
complete launches. So $10,000,000 might be what a Soyuz launch actually
costs and the Russians may just turn a fair profit out of every tourist
launched.

If that figure has any merit at all, I suspect it is a result of
someone confusing the cost of a Soyuz launch vehicle with the cost of a
complete Soyuz spacecraft mission.

  #13  
Old September 18th 06, 12:37 AM posted to sci.space.station
Jochem Huhmann
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Posts: 606
Default Madonna could be sent into space in 2009 - Russian Space Agency

"hop" writes:

Jochem Huhmann wrote:

Back in the Tito (or Shuttleworth, I don't remember which) days it was
said that the 20 millions would pay not only for one, but for two
complete launches. So $10,000,000 might be what a Soyuz launch actually
costs and the Russians may just turn a fair profit out of every tourist
launched.

If that figure has any merit at all, I suspect it is a result of
someone confusing the cost of a Soyuz launch vehicle with the cost of a
complete Soyuz spacecraft mission.


Whatever. Still I think that there is little doubt that the $20m the
Russians make from a tourist launch is helping them quite a bit with
keeping the show running. Which is good.

By the way, Madonna in space would surely make a hell of a PR stunt, for
all involved. I like that idea.


Jochem

--
"A designer knows he has arrived at perfection not when there is no
longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away."
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery
  #14  
Old September 18th 06, 01:18 AM posted to sci.space.station
Danny Dot[_1_]
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Posts: 481
Default Madonna could be sent into space in 2009 - Russian Space Agency

Danny Dot wrote:

Whatever. Still I think that there is little doubt that the $20m the
Russians make from a tourist launch is helping them quite a bit with
keeping the show running. Which is good.


I think the entire Russian space budget is $400M/year. $20M is a 5% boost.

www.mobbinggonemad.org



  #15  
Old September 18th 06, 04:07 PM posted to sci.space.station
Jeff Findley
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Default Madonna could be sent into space in 2009 - Russian Space Agency


"Z 1 Y 0 N 3 X" wrote in message
oups.com...
This is totally absurd. I guess space tourism has to start somewhere...

But Madonna?! Jesus christ if she wasn't filthy rich there is no doubt
in my mind she wouldn't even think about space flight.


At the reported $20 million per flight that the Russians are charging, being
"filthy rich" seems to be a prerequisite, unless you're one of the chosen
few career astronauts who are lucky enough to actually get a flight
assignment.

In case you have not noticed, cost is the biggest roadblock to space travel
today. Luckily, there are small startup companies who are working to change
this.

Jeff
--
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a
little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor
safety"
- B. Franklin, Bartlett's Familiar Quotations (1919)


  #17  
Old September 18th 06, 04:11 PM posted to sci.space.station
Jeff Findley
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Posts: 5,012
Default Madonna could be sent into space in 2009 - Russian Space Agency


"Z 1 Y 0 N 3 X" wrote in message
oups.com...
I agree, I think the whole space tourism thing should be flushed, if
not, modified. I don't think $20,000,000 is enough for a tourist at
this beginning point in time. For tourists to really make a difference
in space flight/exploration/colonization, we should either up the price
tag or... better yet, the Russians should just stop it in general. From
what it seems to me, space tourism is a big play for extra money, and I
have a feeling that extra money is going into even better space
tourism, which is completely pointless.


So damn the free market and set prices much higher? What kind of economic
lunacy is this?

Jeff
--
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a
little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor
safety"
- B. Franklin, Bartlett's Familiar Quotations (1919)


  #18  
Old September 18th 06, 04:13 PM posted to sci.space.station
Jeff Findley
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Posts: 5,012
Default Madonna could be sent into space in 2009 - Russian Space Agency


"John Doe" wrote in message ...
Like a spoiled little rich girl. Pathetic.


It isn't just the money and the 10 days in space. If Madonna can go
through the training curriculum and pass without any special "we'll
overlook that D- mark on that exam", then she deserves to go up just as
any other tourist.


Considering that the current paying Soyuz passenger is flying because the
primary passenger was denied the seat due to a medical condition, I doubt
the Russians are going to bend the rules like this.

Jeff
--
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a
little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor
safety"
- B. Franklin, Bartlett's Familiar Quotations (1919)


  #19  
Old September 18th 06, 11:58 PM posted to sci.space.station
hop
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Posts: 90
Default Madonna could be sent into space in 2009 - Russian Space Agency

nmp wrote:

5% is not an insignificant contribution, I bet the space tourists *really*
help the Russians to keep their program going. Which is good indeed.

The Russians sell more than one seat per year. There are 2 flights per
year, and up to two paying passengers. NASA are now paying for their
seats, and the previous European and other foreign participants have
flown commercial contract as well. That means that a typical flight
(with on Russian and two foreigners) may be pulling in ~$40 million.

OTOH, except for the US contract, the terms aren't public (AFAIK). A
number of people have suggested that $20 million is where negotiations
start, and may not reflect the final price. The NASA contract works out
to a bit over $20 million per flight if I remember correctly, but it
includes some payload on progress flights as well. It also includes
training for the flight engineer position, which is more involved than
the tourist seat.

Something that seems to get a bit lost in the objections to "tourists"
is that there may not much difference between the "tourists" and other
potential visiting crew participants. Russia has been in the business
of giving rides to people who don't have a strong technical reason to
be on board for a long time (since before Mir). The fact that such
rides are now for cash rather than political capital is pretty
irrelevant to the practical aspects of the flight.

  #20  
Old September 19th 06, 01:50 AM posted to sci.space.station
Frank Glover[_1_]
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Posts: 353
Default Madonna could be sent into space in 2009 - Russian Space Agency

hop wrote:
nmp wrote:

5% is not an insignificant contribution, I bet the space tourists *really*
help the Russians to keep their program going. Which is good indeed.


The Russians sell more than one seat per year. There are 2 flights per
year, and up to two paying passengers. NASA are now paying for their
seats, and the previous European and other foreign participants have
flown commercial contract as well. That means that a typical flight
(with on Russian and two foreigners) may be pulling in ~$40 million.

OTOH, except for the US contract, the terms aren't public (AFAIK). A
number of people have suggested that $20 million is where negotiations
start, and may not reflect the final price. The NASA contract works out
to a bit over $20 million per flight if I remember correctly, but it
includes some payload on progress flights as well. It also includes
training for the flight engineer position, which is more involved than
the tourist seat.

Something that seems to get a bit lost in the objections to "tourists"
is that there may not much difference between the "tourists" and other
potential visiting crew participants. Russia has been in the business
of giving rides to people who don't have a strong technical reason to
be on board for a long time (since before Mir). The fact that such
rides are now for cash rather than political capital is pretty
irrelevant to the practical aspects of the flight.



And there's this to consider:

http://www.thespacereview.com/article/706/1

--

Frank

You know what to remove to reply...

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"To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would be to limit the
human spirit."
- Stephen Hawking
 




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