NASA pundits launch debate over space flight

Couple of points: As wolfie points out, the skycar problem is a risk issue for the government. Personally, I think it's an acceptable risk, but then I think it's okay for people to not wear seatbelts or helmets either. The cost of the Mollar skycar is currently a half million dollars at the cheapest so the number of cars flying around are going to be considerably less than the current number of private aircraft. And they will be flying at a lower altitude, which means while mid-air collisions are less, bird, high tension wire, cable car, and antenna strikes are greater.

A similar problem exists for space launch vehicles. Both our government, and the governments of the world, are absolutely paranoid about private ownership & development of space launch capabilities. One, they don't want launches to be mistaken for a ballistic missile attack that starts WWIII. Two, they really don't want anyone to have that much explosive materials. Three, launch vehicles crash as much as the early airplane experiments, only when a rocket crashes, it's much more destructive. That's the reason why they drove Goddard out of New England. On the other hand, if someone develops a drive/launch/propulsion technology that doesn't use a 300 foot tall rocket driven by nearly exploding fuel, then we might just be able to put reasonable space travel in the hands of small companies or groups of people.; Posted by: Dr_Zinj Posted on: 09/24/07 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

Reply to Story Reply to Message

Subscribe to this discussion via Email or RSS

Not sure I agree with Rutan roberto_maietta@... | 09/21/07

he's a businessman galileon | 09/21/07

Flying Cars and such... Wolfie2K3 | 09/21/07

Couple of points Dr_Zinj | 09/24/07

What do you think?

Here to help you with your Document Management Needs
Doc is an enigma. Born to a Russian ballerina and a German electrical engineer, he grew up in various locations in the United States. He’s seen the insides of more brands, versions, and generations of printer and printer-related hardware than almost anyone.
To learn more about this mysterious figure check out his blog on ZDNet. You’ll be glad you did.
Produced by
ZDNet and