Day of the Doomships

Is private space industry ready to compete with virgin-galactic's
orbiting concept ships? There is one possible option, if the legal
challenges can be hurdled. Why not design luxury capsules capable of a
one-way trip into space?

These high-ticket trips might include a slingshot around either Mars or
Venus. Imagine the glorious sight of mysterious red terrain as it
passes nearby, or the fabulous plunge through vivid cloudbanks,
emerging again into the bright glow of the sun.

The only requirement for such a journey, once the technicalities and
economics were worked out, the only basic prerequisite would have to be
that the passenger be first actually diagnosed with a terminal
condition. If these "Voidships" came equipped for an eight-month
mission, then riders must have proof that otherwise they only have
seven months to live. That is, of course, after a training and
orientation program lasting several months.

It's a last-wish fantasy trip into space for those who might be "into"
it.

Why settle for a few minutes of freefall aboard the virgin ships, when
you can have a weightlessness experience lasting several months?

wrote:

Is private space industry ready to compete with virgin-galactic's
orbiting concept ships?


When Virgin Galactic has something orbit-capable, we'll see...


There is one possible option, if the legal
challenges can be hurdled. Why not design luxury capsules capable of a
one-way trip into space?


Because most people want to come home safely when it's over?


These high-ticket trips might include a slingshot around either Mars or
Venus. Imagine the glorious sight of mysterious red terrain as it
passes nearby, or the fabulous plunge through vivid cloudbanks,
emerging again into the bright glow of the sun.

The only requirement for such a journey, once the technicalities and
economics were worked out, the only basic prerequisite would have to be
that the passenger be first actually diagnosed with a terminal
condition. If these "Voidships" came equipped for an eight-month
mission, then riders must have proof that otherwise they only have
seven months to live. That is, of course, after a training and
orientation program lasting several months.


So you want to leave a (by definition) very sick individual alone
(if it's one-way, we may expect no crew, right?) on a ship in
interplanetary space for many months?


It's a last-wish fantasy trip into space for those who might be "into"
it.

Why settle for a few minutes of freefall aboard the virgin ships, when
you can have a weightlessness experience lasting several months?


And how much of a market can there possibly be? Even most terminally
ill want to come home after their space experience. (having their
*remains* sent into space is another matter)

And terminally-ill people tend not to be wealthy, thanks to their
terminal conditions. IF they are, in spite of it, expect any family who
stands to inherit, to start a war of the lawyers to keep 'their' money
from being spent by dear old (fill in relationship of rich, sick person)
in space, before they can get it.

Trust me, similar things happen in cryonics, and a suspension costs
*much* less than this is likely to.


--

Frank

You know what to remove to reply...

Check out my web page: http://www.geocities.com/stardolphin1/link2.htm

"No matter how big or soft or warm your bed is, you still have to get
out of it."
- Grace Slick

Frank Glover wrote:


Because most people want to come home safely when it's over?

thanks for replying

my message got posted several times too many, apparently, because the
browser on this five-year-old pocket pc appeared to be sticking without
sending.

sorry for accidentally overdoing my coffeeshop wifi webposting here


as for the outward bound concept being too way out for many -- that's
probably true. but if, say, twenty takers were functional enough and
wealthy enough to put together a series of such launches over several
years, why should anyone stop them?

kk

wrote:
as for the outward bound concept being too way out for many -- that's
probably true. but if, say, twenty takers were functional enough and
wealthy enough to put together a series of such launches over several
years, why should anyone stop them?

Nobody should stop them. It's still not a feasible proposition I'm
afraid; too expensive even for a one-way trip, not enough takers, a
terminally ill patient isn't going to be able to handle a solo flight to
Mars.

--
"Always look on the bright side of life."
To reply by email, replace no.spam with my last name.

wrote:
Frank Glover wrote:


Because most people want to come home safely when it's over?


thanks for replying

my message got posted several times too many, apparently, because the
browser on this five-year-old pocket pc appeared to be sticking without
sending.


Understood.


sorry for accidentally overdoing my coffeeshop wifi webposting here


as for the outward bound concept being too way out for many -- that's
probably true. but if, say, twenty takers were functional enough and
wealthy enough to put together a series of such launches over several
years, why should anyone stop them?

kk



Again, if nothing else (and there may well be something else...see
below) market forces.

Virgin Galactic is confident there are enough takers to show an
eventual profit, after the spacecraft have paid for themselves. Scaled
Composites is confident there are enough potential buyers (starting with
VG) of their hardware to be worth their while.

If there are only twenty likely takers for this one-way space flight,
will their money be enough to fund research and development of the
vehicle (unless it's a derivation of something else [Dragon?] that may
be off-the-shelf by such time) *and* show a profit as well?

It will be very hard to do such a thing quietly, and the state the
operators are based in, bring charges of assisting a suicide (at least)
if they do this. (remember, it's understood that the passenger will not
ultimately survive the trip, and the shhip's very design (lack of
re-entry surfaces [why carry the weight?], no other crew, etc.) will
tend to prove this. And, entering into an activity *known and
understood* to be ultimately fatal (not merely risky), will be the
rationale for family or the state to challenge the competence of the
intended passenger. That the passenger is terminally ill will not only
be irrelevant, but could be used to question his competence.
[depression, etc.])

And an organization capable of this, will obviously have signifigant
assets to be attached in a lawsuit.

No, you can't really stop someone from doing something that will
positively, ultimately kill them (short of institutionalization), but
you *can* bring a ton of pressure on those who appear to be helping them
in any way, espically if they expect to profit from it.

The anology with cryonics is that they can't touch one of their
signed-up suspendees before a medical person qualified to do so, has
declared legal death, even though a suspension could be done somewhat
more effectively before such time. (And as most people pay for a
suspension with a life insurance policy with the cryonics provider as
the benificiary, they must not even *appear* to have in any way hastened
the person's death...again with far less money involved.)

And both organizations have respoonsibilities after the fact. A
cryonics provider must stay solvent and operational in orrder to keep
its people suspended in LN2. Your proposal requires at least the kind of
deep space tracking and control one would have over an unmanned craft
flying the same route, plus trying to remotely maintain life-support amd
other human needs for this lone passenger, (not helped by speed of light
delays) until the end of his/her life and/or intended flight...and you
may have several in progress at once.


--

Frank

You know what to remove to reply...

Check out my web page: http://www.geocities.com/stardolphin1/link2.htm

"No matter how big or soft or warm your bed is, you still have to get
out of it."
- Grace Slick

Most terminal illnesses do more than kill a person. They also make the
person sick to the point that they need drugs or nursing care. Even if a
person is healthy enough on day one, there is a risk that by day 90, he'll
need care. He may end up sleeping through the Mars flyby.

How's the Mars flyby?
Uuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
How does Mars look?
Uuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
At least we got to listen to the heart machine go ping ping ping.