Anyone have an extra 100M Pounds?

Companies have been selling reserve tickets to go to the moon for the last 50 years.

This time it's for real.

The FES should start raising funds to send a selected member on this trip.

If enough money is raised, we could send two people 

Mizuki x

I am willing to man-whore myself to women to help raise the cash.

Count me in for one buck.

This time it's for real.

No it isn't.

In the 70's there used to be similar articles in pop science and investment magazines offering to sell wealthy investors a seat for a future trip. It's an investment scam. After a certain point the company will declare bankrupcy, the money will disappear, they'll start a new company, and the process will start all over.

Good luck trying to take legal action against a company located on the Isle of Man...

I have begun to sell moonblock lotion and will donate 10% of the proceeds to the endeavor.

Quote from: EmperorZhark on June 20, 2012, 09:23:07 AM

This time it's for real.

No it isn't.

Can I still man-whore for money for something, though?

Quote from: EmperorZhark on June 20, 2012, 09:23:07 AM

This time it's for real.

No it isn't.

In the 70's there used to be similar articles in pop science and investment magazines offering to sell wealthy investors a seat for a future trip. It's an investment scam. After a certain point the company will declare bankrupcy, the money will disappear, they'll start a new company, and the process will start all over.

Good luck trying to take legal action against a company located on the Isle of Man...

No proofs, wild asumptions.

As usual.

Tom Bishop is correct as usual.

We have been on the verge of civilian space travel since 1969.
 
Howard Hughes beat Branson to the punch on this bit of marketing by 40 years.

And then there is of course Mr Branson. How is he doing having been selling tickets for years?


In 2004 it was reported

Meanwhile, Virgin Atlantic Airways founder Sir Richard Branson launched Virgin Galactic at the Royal Aeronautical Society in London on 27 September, promising the first commercial suborbital space flights early in 2007.

But by 2005 it was reported

Virgin Galactic still has major design decisions to make for the SpaceShipTwo (SS2) suborbital craft, which is planned to enter service in 2008 carrying seven tourists and two pilots.

By 2009 and still no tourists they reported

2010 becomes less and less likely as a date. So how long till 2010 becomes 2011 officially?

And then in 2011

No date has been set for the first commercial flight, although news.com.au reported that the company hopes to start taking tourists into space in 2012.

Its 2012. Now we don't even get an excuse.

Emperor's new clothes? It should be noted that the company has taken more than $70 million, of refundable deposits in that time. That's one hell of an interest free loan and at least 8 years of premier marketing for Virgin Atlantic. That's what space tourism is about. Selling impossible dreams to rich suckers.

In the 70's there used to be similar articles in pop science and investment magazines offering to sell wealthy investors a seat for a future trip. It's an investment scam. After a certain point the company will declare bankrupcy, the money will disappear, they'll start a new company, and the process will start all over.

First of all, this isn't the '70s.  Secondly, none of the previous companies have built and flown a space ship.  Scaled Composites has.  None of the previous companies have built and publicly shown (let alone test flown) the spaceship(s) in question.  Virgin Galactic has.  If it's a scam, then I think that they're doing it wrong.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_tourism

7 vastly wealthy and powerful people in on it. The types that like to be able to tell people, of the time they went into space, at a dinner party? GTFO. Until people start going up in their hundreds, this is too easily a rich boys joke on the rest of the world. Wink, wink. We went into space. Look what our fabulous wealth bought us. etc etc

Do you have any actual proof? Apart from the tall tales of 7 very rich and powerful men?

Quote from: Tom Bishop on June 20, 2012, 09:35:27 AM

In the 70's there used to be similar articles in pop science and investment magazines offering to sell wealthy investors a seat for a future trip. It's an investment scam. After a certain point the company will declare bankrupcy, the money will disappear, they'll start a new company, and the process will start all over.

First of all, this isn't the '70s.  Secondly, none of the previous companies have built and flown a space ship.  Scaled Composites has.  None of the previous companies have built and publicly shown (let alone test flown) the spaceship(s) in question.  Virgin Galactic has.  If it's a scam, then I think that they're doing it wrong.

I am sorry, I may be taking it wrong.  But, it seems like you are trying to justify the lies of the past with a promise for tomorrow.

Even McDonalds have tried to use moon trips to sell burgers.

http://weeklyworldnews.com/headlines/29287/mcdonalds-opens-on-the-moon/
2015. If there is a McDonalds on the moon in 2015 (bearing in mind we still don't have any space tourists and they haven't actually started building it yet), then I will eat one of their disgusting happy meals.

Space tourism is all about marketing. That's all its ever been. Its not a reality.

Not to be outdone, Dominos pizza are also opening an outlet on the moon. Its all crap. Look through the lies. they just want to sell you something. Airline tickets, pizza, burgers, what ever.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/8734456/Dominos-plans-pizza-on-the-Moon.html

I am sorry, I may be taking it wrong.  But, it seems like you are trying to justify the lies of the past with a promise for tomorrow.

Not at all.  I'm saying that was then and this is now.  Scaled Composites (The Spaceship Company) and Virgin Galactic have made far more tangible progress in delivering on the promise of commercial space flight than any other company in history and I think that the nay sayers should focus on what is happening now rather than what didn't happen 30 years ago.

Whoa, Lord British is in on the conspiracy?  I never would have guessed.

Also, the Weekly World News publishes joke articles, Thork.

Whoa, Lord British is in on the conspiracy?  I never would have guessed.

Also, the Weekly World News publishes joke articles, Thork.

And the telegraph?

It's amazing that RE'ers are so skeptical of John's book whenever it gets delayed, but are more than happy to believe in a decades-long project that has yet to deliver. Talk about double standards.

Quote from: Saddam Hussein on June 20, 2012, 10:48:28 AM

Whoa, Lord British is in on the conspiracy?  I never would have guessed.

Also, the Weekly World News publishes joke articles, Thork.

And the telegraph?

The Telegraph is fine.  I'm just saying that the WWN article isn't real.

Space tourism isn't real so the source is kind of irrelevant.

It's amazing that RE'ers are so skeptical of John's book whenever it gets delayed, but are more than happy to believe in a decades-long project that has yet to deliver. Talk about double standards.

Which "decades-long project" are you referring to?  To the best of my knowledge, the SS2 project has been ongoing for less than 10 years.  At least Virgin Galactic and Scaled Composites/The Spaceship Company have provided evidence that they are making progress on commercial space flight.  John has not provided any evidence that he is making any progress on his book.

Space tourism isn't real so the source is kind of irrelevant.

We're not talking about space tourism.  We're talking about companies attempting to use the idea of trips to the moon for marketing purposes, which is very real.  The McDonalds article, however, being a joke, is not a valid example of this.

We're not talking about space tourism.  We're talking about companies attempting to use the idea of trips to the moon for marketing purposes, which is very real.  The McDonalds article, however, being a joke, is not a valid example of this.

Space tourism is a joke, so I don't see how joking about it invalidates the purpose of exemplifying a company's use of space tourism as an advertising scheme.

Quote from: Saddam Hussein on June 20, 2012, 11:06:18 AM

We're not talking about space tourism.  We're talking about companies attempting to use the idea of trips to the moon for marketing purposes, which is very real.  The McDonalds article, however, being a joke, is not a valid example of this.

Space tourism is a joke, so I don't see how joking about it invalidates the purpose of exemplifying a company's use of space tourism as an advertising scheme.

The company (McDonalds) did not use space tourism as an advertising scheme.  That's the point.  WWN made it up.

McDonalds have always been keen to throw about moon base hoaxes.

Which "decades-long project" are you referring to?  To the best of my knowledge, the SS2 project has been ongoing for less than 10 years.  At least Virgin Galactic and Scaled Composites/The Spaceship Company have provided evidence that they are making progress on commercial space flight.  John has not provided any evidence that he is making any progress on his book.

The project to bring space tourism to the masses. Been going on for ages. Also, a quick Wiki reveals that SpaceShipOne has been in development since 1994. 18 years and counting.


And honestly markjo, at this point you've entered the realm of the absurd. "I won't believe that John is self-publishing until I see it! However, I will believe in space tourism, despite Branson & Co. missing deadline after deadline after deadline. I mean, which is more likely?!"


 

Quote from: markjo on June 20, 2012, 11:03:08 AM

Which "decades-long project" are you referring to?  To the best of my knowledge, the SS2 project has been ongoing for less than 10 years.  At least Virgin Galactic and Scaled Composites/The Spaceship Company have provided evidence that they are making progress on commercial space flight.  John has not provided any evidence that he is making any progress on his book.

The project to bring space tourism to the masses. Been going on for ages.

I'm sorry, I didn't realize that it was a single project.

Also, a quick Wiki reveals that SpaceShipOne has been in development since 1994. 18 years and counting.

Umm...  Spaceship One flew in 2003, won the Ansari X Prize and was retired in 2004.  That's 10 years, not 18.

And honestly markjo, at this point you've entered the realm of the absurd. "I won't believe that John is self-publishing until I see it! However, I will believe in space tourism, despite Branson & Co. missing deadline after deadline after deadline. I mean, which is more likely?!"

I'm not talking about missing deadlines.  I'm talking about tangible progress.  Branson and Co. have publicly shown that they have made a great deal of tangible progress, including getting FAA approval to start powered test flights for SpaceShip Two (which has already made a number of unpowered test flights).  How much tangible progress has John publicly shown on his book?

BTW, I'm not criticizing John about his book.  I'm just not holding my breath.

From what I have read so far, the craft was unveiled in Dec, 2009 and has conducted 16 successful test glides back to Earth. further more, the company is currently taking bookings for seats and is planning on a 2013 launch.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceShipTwo

now this is just a wiki, so take it as you will.

http://www.space.com/14619-virgin-galactics-private-spaceshiptwo-test-flights-trials.html

shows a small add with included video of the test flights and how close they are getting. So, to me, this seems like the real deal or at least attempting to create the real deal commercial space flight. The future is a mystery so who knows.