December 17, 1903

[cmdr_zoom]

(odd, I would have expected z_gryphon to beat me to this post)

Let's hear it for the Wrights, and for all the other folks working on the same thing who didn't make it into the history books.

Right now, private spaceflight seems to be at about the same "guys in a bicycle shop" stage, accounting for the order(s) of magnitude increase in engineering resources required. Let's wish them well too.

Comments

[z-gryphon.livejournal.com]

I've been busy chopping my way through an ice storm today. On the other hand, the hearing I was expecting to go to Bangor for was canceled. On the third hand, there were things I wanted to get in Bangor that I now won't have this evening.

Ah, well. Let's have a big round of applause for the hundredth anniversary of the first airplane crash to follow an actual controlled flight. :)

Oh, and there's one distinct difference between the Wrights' situation and that of private spaceflight, in that at time the time of the Wrights, no government that I know of was contemplating making what they were trying to do illegal for private citizens to do.

[gwyd.livejournal.com]

I firmly believe that everyone has the right to do dangerous stuff that might kill them.

[cmdr-zoom.livejournal.com]

It's more the "kill other people" (accidentally or deliberately) that has the government(s) worried. Aside from the risk of a crash over a populated area, consider that Sputnik was as much a demonstration of ICBM capability as anything else.

That's the real problem - anything that can carry a man can also carry a bomb, and even if it doesn't, a rocket by necessity contains enough explosives and/or kinetic energy to do a lot of damage.

[gwyd.livejournal.com]

I have to admit, it's the kill others capability that worries me. At the same time, do it youself rocket kits would be cool....

[cmdr-zoom.livejournal.com]

Note that this is pretty much the same reason we don't have flying cars, either. :)

[gwyd.livejournal.com]

My practical side says, "people are idiots." My heart says, "But, Dude, FLYING CARS!"

I'll drink to that!

[seawasp]

To all who pioneered flight, and may we soon pioneer space... again.

As far as the risk... it's really minimal if you do any planning at all. The Earth really is mostly empty. The flying car issue is MUCH nastier; people don't THINK in 3-d, and they have terrible perceptions of space and velocity anyway. I want a flying car too, but I'm not sure I'd trust ME to drive one, let alone anyone else.