One can also buy a ride on a Russian rocket - Saab General Bulletin Board - Saabnet.com
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One can also buy a ride on a Russian rocket
Posted by Noel [Email] (more from Noel) on Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:48:36
In Reply to: Re: Look up SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo, Reality, Mon, 23 Apr 2012 09:41:22
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but that doesn't make it commercially viable. And as JoeyChess points out, the SpaceShip One and Two are smaller, private versions of the shuttle. They can take a few people on what is more of an exotic thrill ride than a practical mode of transport.
Costs are not simply a low volume of production issue. No hypersonic aircraft is going to be cheap to build--or operate. That means for a JFK to SYD rocket to really work there would have to be sufficient paying passengers to fill the seats, and the flights would have to be pretty frequent. While rich people would be the first takers, I doubt they are a large enough group on which to base a real business, given the enormous up front development and operational costs.
Some comparison... According to Kayak.com, this June you can get a r/t flight from JFK to SYD for under $2000 in coach and about $7300 in business class. It takes 25 hours. Those are big planes, A330, A340, 747, 777, etc., with lots of people (280-350 per flight) sharing the costs.
Do you really think there's a practical way to move even half that many at hypersonic speeds, and enough demand for very short flights, done day-in and day-out, to cover the development costs and make such travel an economic reality?
It will no doubt be done, but it's probably half a century away. Consider the pace of development in commercial aviation: The first passenger jets came out in the Fifties: The Vicount, the Comet, the 707, etc. They flew at about 500-550 mph, held up to 200-odd people. Today's big jets hold more people but go only slightly (if at all) faster. The Concorde held only 120 passengers flew 2-3X as fast, catered to rich folks and still never made a profit. I find it disappointing that we're still flying airplanes that don't go faster but there's not a quick easy answer to doing this, no matter where the money is coming from.
Posts in this Thread:
- Cool video from the International Space Station, Noel, Sun, 22 Apr 2012 09:40:15
- Love the Auroras! Saw my house at 1:17, Bill Homer , Sun, 22 Apr 2012 11:34:36
- Re: Cool video from the International Space Station, AdamSAAB2kAero , Sun, 22 Apr 2012 11:00:37
- The original Sputnik, Tim, Tue, 24 Apr 2012 06:27:32
- The original Sputnik, Reality, Sun, 22 Apr 2012 12:04:01
- Then there's those pesky laws of physics..., Noel, Sun, 22 Apr 2012 16:39:23
- Competitive Market is a discovery process, Tim, Tue, 24 Apr 2012 06:29:41
- Competitive Market is a discovery process, Reality, Sun, 22 Apr 2012 17:22:30
- S. Korea: case where gov't intervention has worked, Bill Homer , Sun, 22 Apr 2012 20:09:17
- A perfect example of the saying..., Noel, Sun, 22 Apr 2012 19:22:44
- aka Personal Attack when logic fails, Reality, Sun, 22 Apr 2012 19:47:05
- Then would you please tell us exactly how, Noel, Mon, 23 Apr 2012 06:38:35
- Look up SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo, Reality, Mon, 23 Apr 2012 07:20:07
- Re: Look up SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo, Joeychess, Mon, 23 Apr 2012 08:38:39
- Re: Look up SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo, Reality, Mon, 23 Apr 2012 09:41:22
- Clipper cost = $22K today, Gene N , Mon, 23 Apr 2012 11:02:11
- One can also buy a ride on a Russian rocket, Noel, Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:48:36 <-- Viewing This Message
- Also, Capital utilization rate would be much higher, Reality, Mon, 23 Apr 2012 18:28:50
- Not aware of any Russian rockets taking off from JFK, Reality, Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:01:23
- Re: Not aware of any Russian rockets taking off from JFK, John G, Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:37:25
- Does your Aunt still see dead people?, Joeychess, Mon, 23 Apr 2012 21:38:26
- What ifs, maybes and semi-relevant statements..., Noel, Mon, 23 Apr 2012 19:14:42
- Re: Not aware of any Russian rockets taking off from JFK, Reality, Mon, 23 Apr 2012 18:03:14
- LOL...6 figure parties, secret service hookers, GSA..., Joeychess, Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:02:16
- Re: aka Personal Attack when logic fails, pete , Mon, 23 Apr 2012 04:58:58
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