Do you consider Richard Branson to have gone into space?

[quad decade guy]

If I went.....it would have to be shuttle orbit level. And several orbits at least.

 

[Fuzzy Brown]

Alan Shepard did it 60 years ago so I don’t see what the big deal is.

 

[Lineandinitial]

Alan Shepard did it 60 years ago so I don’t see what the big deal is.

This is a private enterprise meant for “tourism”.

 

[Est.1998]

Saw something from NASA a while back stating no one has ever been outside of Earth's orbit. I think this story about him going into space is a distraction of some sort.

 

[quad decade guy]

Saw something from NASA a while back stating no one has ever been outside of Earth's orbit. I think this story about him going into space is a distraction of some sort.

Ok. A bit vague....

 

[Lineandinitial]

Damn, they were beyond 250,000 ft though!
The boundary of space is roughly 330,000 ft (expert opinions vary).

One hell of an achievement!

 

[quad decade guy]

Damn, they were beyond 250,000 ft though!
The boundary of space is roughly 330,000 ft (expert opinions vary).

One hell of an achievement!

Ok. But 17,000 mph to achieve orbit........otherwise just a parabolic course. I'm talking orbiting shuttle league. IMHO.

 

[Lineandinitial]

Ok. But 17,000 mph to achieve orbit........otherwise just a parabolic course. I'm talking orbiting shuttle league. IMHO.

Understand, but still an outstanding achievement and milestone for space & aeronautics!

 

[oldngray]

He made it up to 53 miles which barely qualifies as space by NASA definition (50 miles).

 

[Brownslave688]

Understand, but still an outstanding achievement and milestone for space & aeronautics!

And glided it back with no issue

 

[rod]

And glided it back with no issue

and took a couple of hot chicks with him----the man is a god

 

[quad decade guy]

and took a couple of hot chicks with him----the man is a god

Uh no. Homely Brit with money....

 

[quad decade guy]

Understand, but still an outstanding achievement and milestone for space & aeronautics!

Fair enough. Keeping in mind it costs $10k per pound to go into orbit. And look what it took for the shuttle. A long way from reliable reusable machines.

 

[oldngray]

and took a couple of hot chicks with him----the man is a god

He added an exclamation point to his mile high pin

 

[over9five]

He added an exclamation point to his mile high pin

Isn't he like 70 years old? I know he got his spacecraft up, but anything else???

 

[Lineandinitial]

Fair enough. Keeping in mind it costs $10k per pound to go into orbit. And look what it took for the shuttle. A long way from reliable reusable machines.

Man, where’s that optimistic Quad guy???
Plus, most vehicles are reusable anymore. Blue origin is getting those stumpy candlesticks to land back where they launched from.
Lots of failures, but that’s rocketry.

 

[scratch]

There is no way I would pay large amounts of money to be weightless in a sub-orbital flight for a few minutes. Musk has already won the race with SpaceX as far as private companies go. Bezos and his Blue Origin "New Shepherd" capsule are going for eleven-minute flights at a higher altitude than Branson's Virgin Atlantic. The International Space Station orbits with an altitude of about 220 miles for comparison.

 

[NAHimGOOD]

Full send...

Or not at all.

 

[oldngray]

Full send...

Or not at all.

You might as well take a ride on the Vomit Comet

 

[NAHimGOOD]

You might as well take a ride on the Vomit Comet