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"Derek Lyons" wrote in message
...
"Jeff Findley" wrote:

"Derek Lyons" wrote in message
...
"snidely" wrote:
March 9, according to Alan Boyle's intro on msnbc.com

Flying to ISS is rapidly becoming the newest status symbol among those
with too much time and money on their hands.

This is a good thing.

How exactly?

With the Russians reportedly now charging between $20 and $25 million per
flight, it would seem that supply and demand is working as it should in
this
capitalistic venture.

Which has precisely what to do with the topic of discussion?

It's a good thing because the recent rise in price of a Soyuz seat didn't
result in an empty seat. The continued flying of tourists on Soyuz shows
that there is a fairly steady demand for this service. Each additional
tourist flying on a Soyuz shows that the market exists and that at the
current price demand is still greater or equal to two flights per year.

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)

"Jeff Findley" wrote:

It's a good thing because the recent rise in price of a Soyuz seat didn't
result in an empty seat. The continued flying of tourists on Soyuz shows
that there is a fairly steady demand for this service. Each additional
tourist flying on a Soyuz shows that the market exists and that at the
current price demand is still greater or equal to two flights per year.

A luxury (status) market with a sole supplier - I'd have been very
surprised if the price rise had caused a reduction in customers.

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

-Resolved: To be more temperate in my postings.
Oct 5th, 2004 JDL

"Derek Lyons" wrote in message
...
"Jeff Findley" wrote:

It's a good thing because the recent rise in price of a Soyuz seat didn't
result in an empty seat. The continued flying of tourists on Soyuz shows
that there is a fairly steady demand for this service. Each additional
tourist flying on a Soyuz shows that the market exists and that at the
current price demand is still greater or equal to two flights per year.

A luxury (status) market with a sole supplier - I'd have been very
surprised if the price rise had caused a reduction in customers.

It's not a bad sort of market to be in. The demand for luxury items from
the ultra rich appears to be fairly steady and you don't have to outsource a
lot of work to China, which is good for jobs. ;-)

I heard recently that the luxury yacht market is also pretty strong right
now. The rich have to do *something* fun with all that money they make...

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)

"Jeff Findley" wrote:


"Derek Lyons" wrote in message
...
"Jeff Findley" wrote:

It's a good thing because the recent rise in price of a Soyuz seat didn't
result in an empty seat. The continued flying of tourists on Soyuz shows
that there is a fairly steady demand for this service. Each additional
tourist flying on a Soyuz shows that the market exists and that at the
current price demand is still greater or equal to two flights per year.

A luxury (status) market with a sole supplier - I'd have been very
surprised if the price rise had caused a reduction in customers.

It's not a bad sort of market to be in. The demand for luxury items from
the ultra rich appears to be fairly steady and you don't have to outsource a
lot of work to China, which is good for jobs. ;-)

It's only a 'not bad sort' so long as you are sole supplier - things
change rapidly once the 2nd....Nth providers pop up. But I don't see
such providers on the horizon (for orbital/ISS tours) anywhere in the
near term. The Russians have the market to themselves and can
literally squeeze til' it hurts. Monopolies are bad.

I heard recently that the luxury yacht market is also pretty strong right
now. The rich have to do *something* fun with all that money they make...

The luxury yacht boom (and the bizjet boom) is also being driven
(AIUI) from an increasing number of them going 'timeshare' and
marketing to the upper-middle class.

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

-Resolved: To be more temperate in my postings.
Oct 5th, 2004 JDL