Did you see the recent edge-of-space flights of Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos?
Ah, billionaires. They’re just like us…
Each of the flights contained a billionaire and a small number of passengers, who got to zoom up into the Great Wide Open and achieve weightlessness for a few minutes.
For only about $250,000 per seat. And that was dirt cheap, with future seats expected to go for much, much more.
Bezos and Branson are both extolling the flights as the beginning of space travel for non-astronauts yearning to get a view of the Earth from 60 miles above.
But I wonder how long it will be before Joe Sixpack is able to board a flight.
The facts are these: It costs A LOT to do one of these flights. Even though the rockets are supposed to be reusable, we’re talking millions to fuel and service them (if they truly are reusable), not to mention all the logistical aspects of setting up the flights, training the passengers, etc., etc.
(Do you suppose Bezos and Branson offered flight insurance -- you know, just in case….?)
And right now the capsules atop the rockets are only big enough to carry about a half dozen occupants. That means -- for the foreseeable future -- each passenger is gonna have to pay through the nose to board a flight.
OK, I get it. There ARE people with the moolah and the desire to have the biggest thrill currently available for humans line up for these rides. Now these billionaires obviously don’t need the money coughed up by these first space “explorers.”
But they see something that could eventually be a moneymaker for them as they enjoy the public adulation of being space ride pioneers. More than 600 people from 60 countries have so far reserved a ride on Branson’s Virgin Galactic and the same is true for Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket.
The demand is out there, but isn’t it all kind of elitist?
I mean, how many people have $250K or more to throw down for a five-minute joy ride?
Answer: Not that many. Certainly very few Joe Sixpacks.
Which definitely includes me.
Here's the thing: Do we really want rich capitalists running the U.S. space program? We know exploring space is an expensive enterprise. So much so that America had to dramatically scale back its space program after the initial moon visits of the 1960s and 1970s.
I excitedly watched the live landing on the moon in 1969, but things are much different now. Today, we are sending remote-controlled rovers to Mars to show us what a dead planet it is. And our astronauts must hitch a ride from the Russians to get up to the International Space Station to do experiments like growing broccoli in space.
It’s a sad state of affairs -- no matter how hard NASA tries to pump up its now-fairly-limited accomplishments. And that’s why the Billionaire Boys Club has stepped in to help and maybe make a few bucks on the side.
I’m glad Bezos and Branson and Elon Musk are so interested in promoting space travel. But I wonder how enthusiastic they will be after the first horrific explosion happens.
Because it's only a matter of time. Remember the Challenger and Columbia space shuttle disasters?
Space travel is expensive and extremely risky -- and always will be. So I guess I’ll keep doing my space exploring where I’ve always felt most comfortable.
At the movies.
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