Well there is a "dragon" in space

[vampirehunter42]

The new craft from Space X was launched the other day. And I just noticed it is called Dragon. Sorry but I just had to.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Dragon

[Forgotten Dragon's Ire]

Lol

[Corva]

We were discussing this over at Newmars. The launch was aborted at T-2, and they turned it around and launched it in under 75 minutes aftrwards! Considering the cost reduction that they managed, my message to Boeing and Lockheed is thus:

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

[vampirehunter42]

Why, Boeing and Lockheed have very little to do with space flight. The best this will do is keep us from relaying on the Russians to get to the ISS. And maybe after a number of years allow for the very rich to get into space for a bit. And maybe after one or two accidents the normal person can get into space when they drop the price to get more people up there to cover for the deaths of the very rich.

[Corva]

Why, Boeing and Lockheed have very little to do with space flight.

Aside from a near monopoly on it.

We shall see how Falcon 9 Heavy goes. If they manage to launch it for, say, $50 million - and I'm confident they will - the price to orbit will have dropped to $2000/kg. From there, the open market should help to drive costs down further, to maybe $1000/kg, or maybe even $500/kg. At these sorts of prices, it will hopefully become economical to begin mining Luna for fuel, oxygen, and water, which combined with repurposed upper stages would let us begin colonizing this system.

Meet me on Terra station a decade from now and tell me why I was wrong

[vampirehunter42]

First of all I do agree it is really cool, and great thing for space exploration.


But think of it. Over the past couple of months how many airplanes have crashed with most aboard have died. Things go wrong, and the cheaper you get thing the more that can go wrong. So I will expect within a year or two of them getting this going for civilian passengers at least one full launching or landing party will die. The space shuttle has proven this twice the Russians have proven this a couple of times. Also jumping up your chance at getting cancer a number of times. Not that I am saying it is a bad idea, just keep in mind how dangerous space travel is. And I am just thinking about low Earth orbit right now. If they try to go past the "safe zone" there is a better chance at dying.

And still it will be many years till the average person can get into space. As of now it is for the people who buy BMWs and forget they even got it.

[vampirehunter42]

Update to this.
They have a planned launch next month
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewnews.html?id=1447