Commercial space flights.

[danielost]

We will never be able to conquer space if the cost of getting there isn't cut. Currently, if you took a loaf of bread into space and turned to gold, it would not pay the cost of getting into space. Proplem p to this point has been, the government controlling the space industery. Government doesn't know how to make things cheaper. But, with the new commercial companies coming on line they will find cheaper ways to get there.

Further as I have said in the past space flight will stay expenceive, until we can get grandma into space.

Let's hope government will get out of the way so we can achieve these two goals, safely.

[Rafterman]

We will never be able to conquer space if the cost of getting there isn't cut. Currently, if you took a loaf of bread into space and turned to gold, it would not pay the cost of getting into space. Proplem p to this point has been, the government controlling the space industery. Government doesn't know how to make things cheaper. But, with the new commercial companies coming on line they will find cheaper ways to get there.

Further as I have said in the past space flight will stay expenceive, until we can get grandma into space.

Let's hope government will get out of the way so we can achieve these two goals, safely.

Government is "out of the way" and fully supportive of the commercial spaceflight industry.

Government, however, must always play a crucial role in new development because someone has to support the initial research without having to worry about the profit aspects.

Edited July 26, 2013 by Rafterman

[Mr.United_Nations]

Actually Virgin Galactic will start space flights by next year I think

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Actually Virgin Galactic will start space flights by next year I think

Yes but they are only suborbital. Daniel is, I think, making the point that we need cheaper access to orbit.

[danielost]

When they started signing people to go up the price tag was cut from 1,000,000 to 100,000. Which is still to expensive. So yes we need a cheaper way to get there. Bu, we also need a less g force way of getting there. The apollo rockets pulled ten gs. The shuttle pulled six gs. Which I think is still to much to put grandma on board. A car can pull up to three gs.

[Waspie_Dwarf]

The apollo rockets pulled ten gs. The shuttle pulled six gs. Which I think is still to much to put grandma on board. A car can pull up to three gs.

I'm not sure where you got your figures from by they are wrong. All of them are at least double the true values.

The values for the Saturn V and the Space Shuttle are from NASA's own sites (so if you want to argue I suggest you take it up with them).

From the Apollo 11 Flight Journal:

The 4g experienced at the end of the S-IC burn is the highest that will be reached during ascent. The only time a greater g-force will be experienced during the mission is upon re-entry at the end when over 6g will be imparted on the crew.

Source: HERE

So the Saturn V is only reaching a MAXIMUM of 4g during launch and the crew only pulling 6g during re-entry.

Now for the shuttle.

From the NASA Human Space Flight section "Ask the Crew: STS-92":

From: D. Holland, Norfolk, Nebraska, U.S., age 44

To: Mission Specialist Koichi Wakata

Question: What is the g-force the astronauts experience during a launch?

Wakata: At launch the gravity that we experience is about 1.7 g's and by the time the solid rocket boosters are separated which is two minutes into the launch the g-force will be over 2 g's. At the separation of the solid rocket booster, the g-force will decrease to just over 1 g. During the last one minute of the ascent, which is for 8.5 minutes, when the main engines ignited the last full minute, we will experience about 3 g's, and when the main engines cut off around 8 minutes, 30 seconds, you go right into zero-g and everything starts to float around.

Source: HERE

And from the NASA Quest site, FAQs:

QUESTION:

What does your body feel like when you take off?

ANSWER from Sean Kelley on August 11, 1997:

The maximum number of g's the body feels on the shuttle during launch is 3. A g is the equivalent force (acceleration) of gravity, so at 3 g's you body feels like it's three times as heavy. Since the crew is also in a seated position, lying on their back, and wearing a pressure suit, the forces are unlike anything else they have experienced. Most crewmembers report that it is more difficult than the thought to move around during ascent. On entry, the g forces are much smaller, but their bodies have adapted to 0-g (weightlessness), so the forces feel much more than the actual 1.5 g's.

Source: HERE

As for a car pulling 3 g, not in a road car due to acceleration it won't. According to Wikipedia:

A car accelerating from 0–100 km/h 6.4s pulls 0.55g. A Bugatti Veyron accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.4 s pulls 1.55g.

Source: HERE

[danielost]

I got my info from a musem in san. fran.

But, I will accept your numbers.

The car number was a guess.

[Mr.United_Nations]

Oh yep though

[flbrnt]

Establishing a foothold in space is tremendously expensive. Once there the potential payoff is enormous. Unlimited power from the sun, unlimited resources from the asteroids, space for manufacturing without polluting mother earth. Industrial civilization has no future unless we make the leap. Can you imagine the GDP when we have the entire solar system to play in? The costs of getting there will not seem so intimidating then and financing an interstellar mission will be within reach. As long as we are confined to this ball we are faced with a declining standard of living and eventual extinction.