04-03-2016, 11:23 PM
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Freeform rocketry advocate.
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Claremont, CA "The intellectual capitol of the world."-WSJ
Posts: 3,780
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by luke strawwalker
All well and good, but suborbital IS (yawn) BTDT...
IF they were flying passengers suborbitally across the Pacific from California to Japan or Australia in 30 minutes, or from the Eastern Seaboard to Europe in 30 minutes, it might be the model for a "new era".
Flying a vehicle that's basically a glorified sounding rocket or some sort of plaything for the super-rich to fly straight up and straight back down without actually doing anything but floating around a few minutes and looking out the window, isn't going to make space any more accessible or affordable.
It's a good start, but it's basically a "reusable Redstone". Not even in the same class as SpaceX's Falcon 9.
Later! OL J R  |
The ticket price is on the order of $200k. Concorde was on the order of time adjusted $25k. A first class subsonic ticket is on the order of $6k. A private plane with 4 of your best friends is on the order of $35k.
The price differential is large for utility flights, so they are going for the stunt. Also the cross range has a substantial cost. They currently go straight up and down.
You are probably best off flying an A-380, have a dedicated office and VIP lounge, and selling the remaining space to the unwashed masses on a flight available basis.
See Jetsmarter.com
Tech Jerry
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