Re: Burt Rutans plans for a manned mission to Mars

Fred J. McCall wrote:

:$250/kg isn't low enough for Joe MiddleClass to take vacations in space,
:but it is low enough for a small company to send someone to do an experiment.
:It is also low enough for a researcher to apply for a government research
:grant to send his grad student do an experiment. So you don't get millions
:of people going to space every year but you do get thousands of people.

No, it's not really low enough for those uses, either.

Think about it. You have a $5 million government grant for research.
Are you going to blow $20k of it to send up a grad student with your
experiment or are you going to just send the experiment. Either have
someone already up there do it for you or else spend another $5k to
make it automatic so it 'does itself' and sends you the results.

How do you know it's only "another $5K" to do, with any assurance as to reliability of such automation, when you know nothing of the nature of the experiment?
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Burt Rutans plans for a manned mission to Mars
    ... :It is also low enough for a researcher to apply for a government research ... You have a $5 million government grant for research. ... Are you going to blow $20k of it to send up a grad student with your ... businesses sending people on airplanes. ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Re: Burt Rutans plans for a manned mission to Mars
    ... people to go in orbit with their business, experiments, etc. ... It is also low enough for a researcher to apply for a government research grant to send his grad student do an experiment. ... Fred McCall: No, it's not really low enough for those uses, either. ... How do you know it's only "another $5K" to do, with any assurance as to reliability of such automation, when you know nothing of the nature of the experiment? ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Re: Burt Rutans plans for a manned mission to Mars
    ... :>:grant to send his grad student do an experiment. ... :reliability of such automation, when you know nothing of the nature of ... How do you know it isn't, when you know nothing of the nature of the ... which require space environments to conduct. ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Re: Burt Rutans plans for a manned mission to Mars
    ... It is also low enough for a researcher to apply for a government research grant to send his grad student do an experiment. ... Fred McCall: No, it's not really low enough for those uses, either. ... How do you know it's only "another $5K" to do, with any assurance as to reliability of such automation, when you know nothing of the nature of the experiment? ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Re: Burt Rutans plans for a manned mission to Mars
    ... Fred J. McCall wrote: ... :> Are you going to blow $20k of it to send up a grad student with your ... :How do you know it's only "another $5K" to do, with any assurance as to:reliability of such automation, when you know nothing of the nature of:the experiment? ...
    (sci.space.policy)