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>Nit pick: The point of the ride isn't to get 0 gravity. IT IS TO GO TO SPACE! This is an incredibly important and underrated point. People aren't going (just)

>Nit pick: The point of the ride isn't to get 0 gravity. IT IS TO GO TO SPACE! This is an incredibly important and underrated point. People aren't going (just) for the roller coaster ride. They're chasing the overview effect, the perspective-altering thrill of seeing the Earth from space. I suspect a lot of people will pay handsomely for it. If they do (and it works despite the trip's brevity), prices will steadily drop as design and build costs get amortized away to nothing. Eventually it could be accessible to the majority of people (in developed countries), at least at a level where if you saved up you could get to space once in your lifetime — a sort of secular pilgrimage for the 21st century. Given the apparent change in the worldviews of those who experience this effect, if we're lucky it might even help make the world a little bit better. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overview_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overview_effect https://www.overviewinstituteaustralia.org/the-overview-effect https://www.overviewinstituteaustralia.org/the-overview-effe...

Retric 8y ago
8 people out of 536 that have gone to space report the overview effect. That's not necessarily a huge impact.
- rory096 8y ago
  The eight examples mentioned in the Wikipedia page are far from an exhaustive list. They don't include many examples from the original Frank White book, to start. (White also defines it quite broadly, to include the feeling you get in an airplane when watching tiny cars moving along the ground.) Even if the hit rate is low, that doesn't necessarily deter thrill-seekers. 4,800 people have successfully climbed Mt. Everest (8,300 times[0]) at the cost of tens of thousands of dollars ($45k-70k[1], $11k for the royalty alone[2]), and the very real risk of death (375 deaths). The success rate is about half,[3] up from under 30% before 2006.[4] [0] http://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2017/12/17/everest-by-the-numbers-2018-edition/ http://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2017/12/17/everest-by-the-nu... [1] https://www.alpineascents.com/climbs/mount-everest/price-schedule/ https://www.alpineascents.com/climbs/mount-everest/price-sch... [2] Down from $25k before 2014 https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/02/140219-mount-everest-nepal-climbing-fees-adventure/ https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/02/140219-moun... [3] https://www.quora.com/How-many-people-attempt-to-climb-Mt-Everest-annually https://www.quora.com/How-many-people-attempt-to-climb-Mt-Ev... [4] https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/everest-by-the-numbers/index.html https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/everest-by-the-numbers/in...
- icantdrive55 8y ago
  It will be the ultimate Wealthy Boy ride/experience. It's too bad the average scientist, especially astronomers, astrophysicists won't be able to afford to ride the ride? (I'm not suspose to bring up the wealth divide in America, but it's been just so---what's the word--obvious. I'm at the point where I'm thinking about the future. A future where companies will just cater to the small percentage of the population with the biggest wad? Yea--I'm envious. )
  - rory096 8y ago
    At first this will be true, as with many new products. But as hardware and development costs are amortized over time and competitors enter the market, we can expect prices to drop to marginal cost. That could easily be in reach of ordinary people, somewhere in the 5 digits. (I don't believe the $10 million estimate quoted elsewhere below for a second — and the 'analyst' who made it offhand in a quote to a news organization doesn't seem to have backed it up anywhere.) By the way, your account has been dead for a very long time. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14766847 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14766847
hcrisp 8y ago
You can perhaps get the same effect by riding a U2 spy plane. I remember seeing a video (this one I believe [1]) where journalist James May got to ride one and you could hear the elation in his voice. "Like a view to eternity... Nothing like twice the altitude of an airliner." Welcome to the world of high flight indeed. [1] https://youtu.be/1PmYItnlY5M https://youtu.be/1PmYItnlY5M
- ianlevesque 8y ago
  Same curved earth perspective when Adam from MythBusters flew in a U2: https://www.facebook.com/MythBusters/videos/adam's-u2-flight/10154591181003224/ https://www.facebook.com/MythBusters/videos/adam's-u2-flight...

Retric 8y ago

8 people out of 536 that have gone to space report the overview effect. That's not necessarily a huge impact.

rory096 8y ago
The eight examples mentioned in the Wikipedia page are far from an exhaustive list. They don't include many examples from the original Frank White book, to start. (White also defines it quite broadly, to include the feeling you get in an airplane when watching tiny cars moving along the ground.) Even if the hit rate is low, that doesn't necessarily deter thrill-seekers. 4,800 people have successfully climbed Mt. Everest (8,300 times[0]) at the cost of tens of thousands of dollars ($45k-70k[1], $11k for the royalty alone[2]), and the very real risk of death (375 deaths). The success rate is about half,[3] up from under 30% before 2006.[4] [0] http://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2017/12/17/everest-by-the-numbers-2018-edition/ http://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2017/12/17/everest-by-the-nu... [1] https://www.alpineascents.com/climbs/mount-everest/price-schedule/ https://www.alpineascents.com/climbs/mount-everest/price-sch... [2] Down from $25k before 2014 https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/02/140219-mount-everest-nepal-climbing-fees-adventure/ https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/02/140219-moun... [3] https://www.quora.com/How-many-people-attempt-to-climb-Mt-Everest-annually https://www.quora.com/How-many-people-attempt-to-climb-Mt-Ev... [4] https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/everest-by-the-numbers/index.html https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/everest-by-the-numbers/in...
icantdrive55 8y ago
It will be the ultimate Wealthy Boy ride/experience. It's too bad the average scientist, especially astronomers, astrophysicists won't be able to afford to ride the ride? (I'm not suspose to bring up the wealth divide in America, but it's been just so---what's the word--obvious. I'm at the point where I'm thinking about the future. A future where companies will just cater to the small percentage of the population with the biggest wad? Yea--I'm envious. )
- rory096 8y ago
  At first this will be true, as with many new products. But as hardware and development costs are amortized over time and competitors enter the market, we can expect prices to drop to marginal cost. That could easily be in reach of ordinary people, somewhere in the 5 digits. (I don't believe the $10 million estimate quoted elsewhere below for a second — and the 'analyst' who made it offhand in a quote to a news organization doesn't seem to have backed it up anywhere.) By the way, your account has been dead for a very long time. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14766847 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14766847

hcrisp 8y ago

You can perhaps get the same effect by riding a U2 spy plane. I remember seeing a video (this one I believe [1]) where journalist James May got to ride one and you could hear the elation in his voice. "Like a view to eternity... Nothing like twice the altitude of an airliner." Welcome to the world of high flight indeed. [1] https://youtu.be/1PmYItnlY5M https://youtu.be/1PmYItnlY5M

ianlevesque 8y ago
Same curved earth perspective when Adam from MythBusters flew in a U2: https://www.facebook.com/MythBusters/videos/adam's-u2-flight/10154591181003224/ https://www.facebook.com/MythBusters/videos/adam's-u2-flight...