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Incredible achievement. I had to catch myself as, at first, I was thinking “10 minutes? That’s it? And in space for a lot less than that?”. Quickly reminded my

Incredible achievement. I had to catch myself as, at first, I was thinking “10 minutes? That’s it? And in space for a lot less than that?”. Quickly reminded myself that in the history of the world hardly anyone has gone where they have gone - 10 minutes isn’t much, but if I could I would.

tokai 5y ago
>Incredible achievement Is it though? I don't see how.
- docdeek 5y ago
  When I was growing up the only people who had a chance to go where these four people went were trained for years by a nation-state. It was incredibly dangerous and it was only those who the government approved who might make the trip. I just saw four pretty regular people - including one I believe subbed in at the last minute - take a trip and it cost a fraction of what it used to. The high price tag means it’s still nowhere near accessible to most people as flying in a plane or taking a train, but it’s a lot more accessible than it was when I was a kid, and by the time my kids are adults it is likely to be more than just a pipe dream. I still remember what it was like to catch a plane for the first time and how I would count the number of trips I would take on a plane because it was just so outside my normal experience. Maybe one of my kids will have a chance to feel the same way about flying to space.
  - tokai 5y ago
    But there has been space tourism since the 00's. For the right amount of money anyone could ride a Soyuz rocket.
    - renewiltord 5y ago
      Made by a Space Race government. Now it’s in the reach of individuals. I’m a space universalist. I’m cheering for all the teams here.
    - pavon 5y ago
      Those trips cost tens of millons of dollars. These cost hundreds of thousands. That makes it available to many more people that could afford it before, and hints at the potential for continuing price decreases in the future.
AlexanderTheGr8 5y ago
I agree - it's incredible. First flight of Wright Brothers lasted about 8 seconds. For initial flights, I would not consider time spent in space as the most important metric.
- 908087 5y ago
  The Wright brothers weren't achieving a fraction of something which had already been going on semi-regularly for over half a century, though. Not at all comparable.

tokai 5y ago

>Incredible achievement Is it though? I don't see how.

docdeek 5y ago
When I was growing up the only people who had a chance to go where these four people went were trained for years by a nation-state. It was incredibly dangerous and it was only those who the government approved who might make the trip. I just saw four pretty regular people - including one I believe subbed in at the last minute - take a trip and it cost a fraction of what it used to. The high price tag means it’s still nowhere near accessible to most people as flying in a plane or taking a train, but it’s a lot more accessible than it was when I was a kid, and by the time my kids are adults it is likely to be more than just a pipe dream. I still remember what it was like to catch a plane for the first time and how I would count the number of trips I would take on a plane because it was just so outside my normal experience. Maybe one of my kids will have a chance to feel the same way about flying to space.
- tokai 5y ago
  But there has been space tourism since the 00's. For the right amount of money anyone could ride a Soyuz rocket.
  - renewiltord 5y ago
    Made by a Space Race government. Now it’s in the reach of individuals. I’m a space universalist. I’m cheering for all the teams here.
  - pavon 5y ago
    Those trips cost tens of millons of dollars. These cost hundreds of thousands. That makes it available to many more people that could afford it before, and hints at the potential for continuing price decreases in the future.

AlexanderTheGr8 5y ago

I agree - it's incredible. First flight of Wright Brothers lasted about 8 seconds. For initial flights, I would not consider time spent in space as the most important metric.

908087 5y ago
The Wright brothers weren't achieving a fraction of something which had already been going on semi-regularly for over half a century, though. Not at all comparable.