Re: rebuttal to Jeffrey Bell on "StuntShipOne"

From: Rand Simberg (newsgroups_at_transterrestrial.com)
Date: 07/23/04 

Date: Fri, 23 Jul 2004 15:29:28 GMT

Dave O'Neill wrote:

> Rand Simberg <newsgroups@transterrestrial.com> wrote in message news:<N6ZLc.12151$Qu5.1876@newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net>...
>
>>k2 wrote:
>>
>>
>>>>It's not clear that a real demand for sub orbital tourism exists. <
>>>
>>>
>>>This seems to be the heart of most people's resentment to Bell's
>>>article.
>>
>>No, it was largely because he demonstrably doesn't know what he's
>>talking about.
>>
>>
>>>Much like religion, you either believe or you don't!
>>>Judging from the lack of serious people investing in Alt. Space
>>>companies & X Prizes teams, I really wonder!!!!
>>
>>Paul Allen isn't serious? Jeff Bezos isn't serious?
>
>
> Oh they are serious, but there's aren't that many of them.

One may be sufficient.

> I can't see them funding everything by themselves, even though they
> could.

I can.

> The open question is will the institional investors follow through.

Not until someone's made money that way.

> There's a strong possiblity they might, but there's a lot of caveats
> involved and hyping this won't help.

No, but then, few are doing that, except in your confused mind.

>>>Clearly his point wasn't the picture of space on the window! The
>>>Futron report claims there are 7800 people willing to spend $100K for
>>>a sub orbital flight. So why aren't thousands of people lining up for
>>>the MIG 25 Edge of space flight @$19K, or the zero gravity flight
>>>@$7K.
>>
>>Because they don't want to have to go to Russia.
>
>
> I'm concerned that this isn't the actual reason.

Well, I suppose they could be lying when they tell people at Incredible
Adventures and Space Adventures that it is, but I'm inclined to take
them at their word.

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