David Responds to Space Tourism Critic
David Masten, our CEO, has responded to Alex Tabarrok’s critique of the safety record of accessing space as it relates to tourism. As the blog-father says, read the whole thing…
David Masten, our CEO, has responded to Alex Tabarrok’s critique of the safety record of accessing space as it relates to tourism. As the blog-father says, read the whole thing…
Good commentary! It was entirely predictable for the nay-sayers to yammer about how what was going to happen, wasn’t going to happen. That’s par for the course. But I must admit it’s a little startling, they way that they’re still yammering about what has happened, hasn’t happened. The fact is that Burt has carried out an entire manned suborbital spaceflight program for 1/20th the cost of a single shuttle launch. That is part of historical record now, and if it doesn’t clue them into the fact that something is fundamentally different, then I’m quite certain that nothing will. Ten years from now, when hundreds or thousands of people are reaching orbit in reusable vehicles, I expect that the skeptics will still carping about how those vehicles aren’t really spaceships, like the Shuttle, because they don’t have 50,000 lbs of cargo space in the trunk.
Well, they can tell it to their drinks, as far as I’m concerned. The rest of us have work to do.
Also, it’s nice to finally see a rendering of what I presume is the XA-1.0. Although it looks like it’s a 4-engine design(?), while I would have expected 5 or 6, for an engine-out capability.
Comment by Nathan Koren — 11/19/2004 @ 8:56 pm
That rendering of XA1.0 is only very grossly accurate. Yes, the engines will change entirely and there is a new over all vehicle shape that’s being redone. I think we’ll have a new version in a week or so…
-MM
Comment by Michael Mealling — 11/19/2004 @ 9:54 pm
Just because you only see 4 engines firing doesn’t mean only four are present.
But it is only a very preliminary artist rendition. We always reserve the right to change anything and everything to make it work better.
Comment by David Masten — 11/20/2004 @ 2:51 am
congratulations Mr. Masten on your successful Lunar challenge, from the Bahamas. Continue to succeed in all you do.
Comment by michelle — 12/26/2009 @ 4:54 pm
congratulations from the Bahamas.
Comment by michelle — 12/26/2009 @ 4:54 pm