I wonder who the two people are.
I wonder what the life insurance policy costs -- though perhaps in this case these individuals don't need one due to their existing wealth. I guess super-wealthy people just "self insure" eh?
SpaceX to Send Privately Crewed Dragon Spacecraft Beyond the Moon Next Year
51–60 of 513 posts
Re: SpaceX to Send Privately Crewed Dragon Spacecraft Beyond the Moon Next Year
#52> We are excited to announce that SpaceX has been approached to fly two private citizens on a trip around the moon late next year. They have already paid a significant deposit to do a moon mission. Can't wait to hear who booked this trip! Definitely one of the coolest ways to spend a lot of superfluous money :)
Maybe Richard Garriot wants to survey his property ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Garriott#Other_accompl... ) from near-lunar orbit. ;)
"Not me... yet!"
https://twitter.com/RichardGarriott/status/83632784187673804...
Re: SpaceX to Send Privately Crewed Dragon Spacecraft Beyond the Moon Next Year
#53Absolutely incredible. This will be the furthest that humanity has journeyed away from Earth in a very long time. However it is worth noting that there hasn't been a single crewed Dragon flight yet. There are demonstator flights scheduled for this year though with the first NASA crewed mission slated for May 2018. That's an incredibly aggressive timeline but if anyone can achieve it, SpaceX can. The long duration fli…
> That's an incredibly aggressive timeline Sometimes i wonder if that's an strategy from the management team to put pressure in the engineers.
It seems like a carrot and a stick because it also reinforces the "SpaceX is special" narrative.
Re: SpaceX to Send Privately Crewed Dragon Spacecraft Beyond the Moon Next Year
#54Earlier quoted context omitted.
The main factor supporting their claim is that they have a very strong incentive to be ferrying crew to/from the ISS around this time, so barring any big mishaps with Falcon Heavy (supposed to be ready this summer/fall), all the pieces should be in place if not by next year, then certainly just a year or two later. Which, as you mentioned, is just as impressive!
This is what I'm referring to: "...The draft report from the GAO, which is Congress’ investigative arm, also concluded that neither SpaceX nor the Boeing Co. is likely to conduct regular space taxi flights to the space station by 2018..." http://www.geekwire.com/2017/gao-journal-spacex-rocket-turbo...
Could be true, but SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell challenged that report directly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjXYSJF-7Cs&t=16m31s
Re: SpaceX to Send Privately Crewed Dragon Spacecraft Beyond the Moon Next Year
#55Who are the two "private citizens"? Seems to be mere urge of "universal human exploration" to go around the moon and not landing on it, etc. isn't doing much exploring, but rather taking a lot of risk on a manned spacecraft that has never been tested with people.
Well the spacecraft will be tested multiple times before this mission and there are health and fitness tests before departure just like it says there. Both of those were addressed, I think you may have misread this.
You're right I misread the testing part. I'd very much still like to know who those people are and what their thought process is.
Re: SpaceX to Send Privately Crewed Dragon Spacecraft Beyond the Moon Next Year
#56So, hmm, we wants to send people around the moon, a year and a half from now, with a rocket he never tested and with a capsule that never flew? I expect half of the directors of SpaceX to resign in the next two days...
Not sure how this differs from Apollo.
Hey, you're right. First flight of the Saturn V was November 1967. First trip around the moon was December 1968.
Re: SpaceX to Send Privately Crewed Dragon Spacecraft Beyond the Moon Next Year
#57Absolutely incredible. This will be the furthest that humanity has journeyed away from Earth in a very long time. However it is worth noting that there hasn't been a single crewed Dragon flight yet. There are demonstator flights scheduled for this year though with the first NASA crewed mission slated for May 2018. That's an incredibly aggressive timeline but if anyone can achieve it, SpaceX can. The long duration fli…
> That's an incredibly aggressive timeline Sometimes i wonder if that's an strategy from the management team to put pressure in the engineers.
In the same way that hitting a stuck bolt with a hammer is a strategy. It applies pressure sure, but you break your tools and the nut gets stripped.
It seems to a preferred motivation method though.
Re: SpaceX to Send Privately Crewed Dragon Spacecraft Beyond the Moon Next Year
#58Earlier quoted context omitted.
We choose to not go to the moon, but do the other things, not because they are hard, but because they are relatively easy, and we can make a quick buck.
Also the moon is pretty boring and Elon Musk likes exciting things.
Making an automobile that people actually want to buy would be exciting.
Re: SpaceX to Send Privately Crewed Dragon Spacecraft Beyond the Moon Next Year
#59I'm gonna make my tip, given Elon's history: Sergey Brin and Larry Page Two of his freind rich enough, geeky enough, to go first.
just imagine the effects on Alphabet's stock price
Re: SpaceX to Send Privately Crewed Dragon Spacecraft Beyond the Moon Next Year
#60Earlier quoted context omitted.
We choose to not go to the moon, but do the other things, not because they are hard, but because they are relatively easy, and we can make a quick buck.
Also the moon is pretty boring and Elon Musk likes exciting things.
How I wish I could experience the boredom of flying around the Moon.