Space Created 20 years ago2004-06-21 03:39:40 UTC by Seventh-Monkey

The first private space flight is to be attempted in about six hours time. Read more here.

Best of luck to him.

yeah. 100 km altitude... little low to me

yup, its for the x race, so there supposed to go into the space within 2 weeks

Hehe, the price is 10.000.000 bucks and these guys already spent like $35m.
I somewhere read that astro-scientists predicted that window-seat in a space ship will only $100.000 within a few decades.
Things are getting cheaper and cheaper, eh?

Sure are...
Pretty cool though going into space for a holiday

"So kids where do you want to for the holidays? Africa? Italy?"
"DAD those places are so boring, why can't we go into space?"
"Hmmm you know it's been a few years since we last went...why not?"

(Dialogue of the future?)

"So kids, were going on vacation, where do you want to go this time?"
"well, we were thinking of going some place fun, like Zorktown, or New Zork!"
"Sorry kids, thats all the way on Mars. We can only afford the moon. Do you guys want to go to the moon?"
"NO way dad, that place is boring. Technology stinks, we should be able to go to Jupiter ."
"OH Guys... Lets just go to Alabama then"
"Alabama? NO WAY! Whats wrong with you dad?"
"DOn't give me that tone you little brat!"
"Err.. fine... well go to.. Alabama "

"Hey dad we're on jupiter, but we cant be here cuase this planet is made of gas!"

"At least we can fill up"

lol

...well, I couldn't give a 'flying' f*ck!

...Just kidding.

SpaceShipOne has rocketed into the history books to become the first private manned spacecraft to fly to the edge of space and back.

The craft, built by aviation pioneer Burt Rutan, went over space's 100km (62 mile) boundary, said mission control.

It was carried to 50,000ft (15km) by its launcher White Knight at which point it was unleashed. It fired its rockets to continue its trip.

Mr Rutan was on the runway to embrace pilot Mike Melvill on his return.

They paid an emotional tribute to each other after the flight.

"It was a mind-blowing experience - an awesome thing," said Mr Melvill.

Full story

Very cool though...read it in today's Herald. Five minute flight wasn't it? Still, very interesting!

That's the Sydney Morning Herald everyone

I would have a lot of mixed feelings about travelling into space. Obviously I would be in awe, but the thought of entering a potentially hazardous zone away from the safety of our planet must be terrifying.

Atleast if you get shot on earth or killed in a car crash on earth it was on earth!

If you get lost in space, there is little you can do to survive.

Hey you forgot the '!' behind hazardous! ...
I don't believe that, with present technology, a human can fly far enough to get 'lost in space'. I even have my doubts about the moonlanding.

Anyway, a car crash in space is probably less lethal than it'd be on earth. You only get an impulse by the car, you don't fly against any walls, drop on the ground from high above it or get rolled over by the car afterwards. You'd maybe have broken legs, but the chances to survive are better than on earth.
A short excursus into hazardous!' world of physics.

I think its unlikely you'd find many cars in space to crash into

a space shuttle crash. Space is a vacums, so if there was a crash, and a liiiittle hole was made, it would suck out, destroying you and your ship, although you do have a space suit. You'd probably float around til your oxygan runs out.

When we go to space, it could happen that the ship goes off course, and since in space there is no friction, you would keep going, til some outside force stops you, ex: suns gravity pulling you in closer, and catchin the Earth on your second trip around (Would not happen, but possible.)

I think it's quite hard to fill your space ship with enough fuel to exit the earth traction field.

have you seen the things! The fuel tanks are so much bigger than everything else! Its amazing how much crap they can stick in their!, but I asure you it is not "Clean Burnin' Propane" (King of the Hill quote)

Not even technology can prevent the Grim Reaper! I mean, he probably uses a small spaceship to fly out and get you when death is near~