4 ms·

This was the most depressing quote for me: >It is unlikely that launching a space vehicle will ever be as routine an undertaking as commercial air travel—certa

• wyager 12y ago
  Of course, that could certainly be completely incorrect. It seems to me, from casual observation, that the rate of rocket launches is increasing very quickly. We seem to be getting better at it.
  • rgbrenner 12y ago
    > It seems to me, from casual observation, that the rate of rocket launches is increasing very quickly. We seem to be getting better at it. The numbers say otherwise: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_spaceflight http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_spaceflight http://www.spacelaunchreport.com/logyear.html http://www.spacelaunchreport.com/logyear.html
    • pimlottc 12y ago
      > http://www.spacelaunchreport.com/logyear.html http://www.spacelaunchreport.com/logyear.html There's no legend on that table; it took me a while to figure out that it's Launches and Failures.
  • morbius 12y ago
    Unmanned launches, yes. Manned spaceflight, and astronauts themselves, have to adhere to extremely strict standards to maintain safety. Those standards cost $$$, time, and require highly educated and resourceful people. The economies just don't scale. It costs a few thousand dollars to fly a transcontinental flight on a 777, and passengers don't have to be trained in all types of contingency situations like astronauts do. The cost for a single Shuttle launch used to be an eight-figure sum. Someday getting to space will be as simple as a transcontinental flight. Unfortunately, rockets aren't the way we're going to get there.
• deleted 12y ago
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