Posted 6/21/2004 07:57:00 PM by Douglas

What a wonderfully amazing feat has been accomplished in the California desert today. The first in a very long line of R&D necessary to make space travel viable for terrestrial commerce.

"The door to space is finally open to the rest of us," said George Whitesides, executive director of the National Space Society, which is wants to see space travel opened to people from all walks of life.

Hold the phone, George, let's not get ahead of ourselves. This is an amazing accomplishment, no doubt, but it's still a far cry from even achieving Low-Earth Orbit. This is the same kind of sub-orbital flight that NASA realized was pointless more than 40 years ago. Is it interesting that they did it on their own dime? Yes, but that's like saying the second solo Trans-Atlantic flight was significant because Lindberg's plane wasn't blue. That dog don't hunt.

Also all over the news today was its $20 Million price tag, versus a per flight cost of about $450 Million for a shuttle flight. Apples and Oranges. You can't compare the brainchild of the genius Rutan brothers to a NASA orbiter anymore than you can compare a 17 foot sailboat to the QE2. They both float on the water, but the similarities stop there. You just can't compare the capability, performance, or cost of SpaceShipOne to a LEO flight in an Orbiter.

[Whitesides] said the team members "have proven that human spaceflight is no longer the realm of governments alone."

Not exactly, but it's a dang good start. It's amazing to see that there's interest, funding, and the fabulous Rutan Brothers that are going to focus their genius on such a daunting task. I hope they can pull it off again in two weeks and finally claim the X-Prize.