4 ms·

Sure, but will your grandma say the same? My point is that this will never be a normal every day thing for the masses like air travel today.

soared 9y ago
True, but I don't think BFR is ever meant for the masses. And airplanes, which are gentle but can be uncomfortable, are barely for the masses (in 2015 only 45% of Americans flew on a plane). https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielreed/2016/04/14/americans-love-to-fly-they-also-complain-about-it-a-lot-but-probably-less-than-you-think/#4b73e01f6423 https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielreed/2016/04/14/americans...
- baq 9y ago
  ...only? that's a first world problem if i've ever seen one :)
  - soared 9y ago
    haha well I meant only 45% of the population isn't really "the masses"
    - lccarrasco 9y ago
      I'd argue that it is, that's almost half the total population and an even larger percentage of working age adults.
      - manicdee 9y ago
        How many of that 45% took a first class or business class international flight?
jjeaff 9y ago
My grandma isn't travelling on a plane 12 hrs to anywhere. Long haul travel is more for the youngish anyway (think baby boomers). And my parents would take a 30 minute roller coaster over a 12 hr flight even if that meant using a puke bag every time.
- ithinkinstereo 9y ago
  At the price point, I imagine it won't be as competitive as a business class fare, which 99% of people will choose over 30 mins of non-stop barfing. No?
acchow 9y ago
Normal people won't be able to afford this. It will serve a small market of wealthy, willing, healthy people.
phyller 9y ago
If you can bear with modern air travel today, the process, the rush, the waiting, the hassle with luggage, and worst of all being cramped in little seats with hundreds of other people around for really long periods of time, then I think you will probably be able to handle the rocket. The devil is in the details though. Regardless, not only do I think I would I appreciate the shorter, more violent flight more as I got older, I would also appreciate the roll of the dice that if anything goes wrong we just all die instantly. Not a bad way to go, really.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- abakker 9y ago
  Ever been bobsledding? I question how well even a fit adult deals with G forces that high. I consider myself pretty fit, but I found my experience at 4Gs to be completely unexpected. I could barely keep my head out of my lap. Sure, it was fun, and I didn't die, but they would not let the elderly, those with spinal injuries, or pregnant women ride a bobsled even for 90 seconds.
  - phyller 9y ago
    To that I would say the G-force strength and direction should be predictable, known even when they are designing the seats before building the rocket. So the passengers should be in an optimal position where they don't need to hold up their heads against the Gs but are cradled by the seat. I think that is very different from the bobsled analogy where the G-forces are changing intensity and direction all the time and you are not in an optimal position. If the G-forces are unpredictable, well something went really really wrong. But you are probably right in that there will be more medical restrictions than there are now. But someone with a spinal injury, or who is very pregnant, or very weak from age probably isn't going to be flying in today's aircraft either.
- craftyguy 9y ago
  > we just all die instantly It's surprising (to me at least) that it's not always instant. For example on the space shuttle Columbia, the astronauts went unconscious after a few seconds as the spacecraft was tumbling and breaking apart [1] but it's plausible that they could have regained consciousness if they survived the violent episode inside the shuttle as it broke apart. 1. https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/31/science/space/31NASA.html https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/31/science/space/31NASA.html

soared 9y ago

True, but I don't think BFR is ever meant for the masses. And airplanes, which are gentle but can be uncomfortable, are barely for the masses (in 2015 only 45% of Americans flew on a plane). https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielreed/2016/04/14/americans-love-to-fly-they-also-complain-about-it-a-lot-but-probably-less-than-you-think/#4b73e01f6423 https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielreed/2016/04/14/americans...

baq 9y ago
...only? that's a first world problem if i've ever seen one :)
- soared 9y ago
  haha well I meant only 45% of the population isn't really "the masses"
  - lccarrasco 9y ago
    I'd argue that it is, that's almost half the total population and an even larger percentage of working age adults.
    - manicdee 9y ago
      How many of that 45% took a first class or business class international flight?

jjeaff 9y ago

My grandma isn't travelling on a plane 12 hrs to anywhere. Long haul travel is more for the youngish anyway (think baby boomers). And my parents would take a 30 minute roller coaster over a 12 hr flight even if that meant using a puke bag every time.

ithinkinstereo 9y ago
At the price point, I imagine it won't be as competitive as a business class fare, which 99% of people will choose over 30 mins of non-stop barfing. No?

acchow 9y ago

Normal people won't be able to afford this. It will serve a small market of wealthy, willing, healthy people.

phyller 9y ago

If you can bear with modern air travel today, the process, the rush, the waiting, the hassle with luggage, and worst of all being cramped in little seats with hundreds of other people around for really long periods of time, then I think you will probably be able to handle the rocket. The devil is in the details though. Regardless, not only do I think I would I appreciate the shorter, more violent flight more as I got older, I would also appreciate the roll of the dice that if anything goes wrong we just all die instantly. Not a bad way to go, really.

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
abakker 9y ago
Ever been bobsledding? I question how well even a fit adult deals with G forces that high. I consider myself pretty fit, but I found my experience at 4Gs to be completely unexpected. I could barely keep my head out of my lap. Sure, it was fun, and I didn't die, but they would not let the elderly, those with spinal injuries, or pregnant women ride a bobsled even for 90 seconds.
- phyller 9y ago
  To that I would say the G-force strength and direction should be predictable, known even when they are designing the seats before building the rocket. So the passengers should be in an optimal position where they don't need to hold up their heads against the Gs but are cradled by the seat. I think that is very different from the bobsled analogy where the G-forces are changing intensity and direction all the time and you are not in an optimal position. If the G-forces are unpredictable, well something went really really wrong. But you are probably right in that there will be more medical restrictions than there are now. But someone with a spinal injury, or who is very pregnant, or very weak from age probably isn't going to be flying in today's aircraft either.
craftyguy 9y ago
> we just all die instantly It's surprising (to me at least) that it's not always instant. For example on the space shuttle Columbia, the astronauts went unconscious after a few seconds as the spacecraft was tumbling and breaking apart [1] but it's plausible that they could have regained consciousness if they survived the violent episode inside the shuttle as it broke apart. 1. https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/31/science/space/31NASA.html https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/31/science/space/31NASA.html