Space travel for regular citizens

I'd like to here some input on this.

Branson recently announced that himself and his company would create space travel for ordinary people, aka, I pay a fee, I get in his space ship, and I fly into "space" and see the earth isn't flat, etc., etc..

Why isn't the government shutting him down? Give me some logic on this, because telling me that they're all part of the conspiracy isn't logic, it's an excuse.

Now even tho they won't be actually going into space, they will be going 100km up, which is far past the theory that stars are only 32 miles away or whatever I read.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2004/jun/10/spaceexploration.uknews

I'd like to here some input on this.

Branson recently announced that himself and his company would create space travel for ordinary people, aka, I pay a fee, I get in his space ship, and I fly into "space" and see the earth isn't flat, etc., etc..

Why isn't the government shutting him down? Give me some logic on this, because telling me that they're all part of the conspiracy isn't logic, it's an excuse.

Now even tho they won't be actually going into space, they will be going 100km up, which is far past the theory that stars are only 32 miles away or whatever I read.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2004/jun/10/spaceexploration.uknews

As they've (Scaled Composites) had a few setbacks recently, let's save the "what if's" until next year.

Personally, I don't think the government will allow a civilian to build a rocket privately with ICBM capabilities.

It wont actually prove anything.  They aren't going into orbit.  Just a bigger, faster version of the vomit comet.  And the curvature you could explain away as the spotlight of the sun.

How would it not prove anything? They're going past the 32 miles according to the FAQ that states the sun, stars, whatever, are only 32 miles above the surface.

It proves plenty.

I just joined, someone linked me to this, and it's so entertaining to read all of this. Mind you, there's always going to be people out there doubting something, but there's so many factual, well documented, REAL stuff that proves the earth isn't flat.

I just enjoy the useless responses that I see all over the place here that give no real explanation or answer to most questions, just "no" or "you're wrong" or "it's part of the conspiracy"

How would it not prove anything? They're going past the 32 miles according to the FAQ that states the sun, stars, whatever, are only 32 miles above the surface.

It proves plenty.

I just joined, someone linked me to this, and it's so entertaining to read all of this. Mind you, there's always going to be people out there doubting something, but there's so many factual, well documented, REAL stuff that proves the earth isn't flat.

I just enjoy the useless responses that I see all over the place here that give no real explanation or answer to most questions, just "no" or "you're wrong" or "it's part of the conspiracy"

No the sun and moon are 32 miles across.  They are at an altitude of 3000 miles. 

k, I must have misread something.

But anyway, that's even besides the point. If the government was so set on keeping this a secret, they wouldn't let anyone come ever the slightest bit close to private space travel.

They haven't.  Just because this guy says he wants to doesn't necassarily mean he is going to.

Scaled Composites is a government contractor.

Way to go Tom!

Scaled Composites is a government contractor.

Why does being a government contractor mean that you can't build applications for civilian uses?  Both Boeing and Airbus are contractors for various governments worldwide, but still build thousands of airlines for civilian use.

Scaled composites can build drones and research vehicles on government contract and still build vehicles for civilian spaceflight.

Why does being a government contractor mean that you can't build applications for civilian uses?  Both Boeing and Airbus are contractors for various governments worldwide, but still build thousands of airlines for civilian use.

Scaled composites can build drones and research vehicles on government contract and still build vehicles for civilian spaceflight.

Read more.

Any civlilian company or organization with ties to the government, whether it be grants, board chairmen, what have you, are grounds for suspicion.

Read more.

Anything specific that I should read more of, or is this just general advice?

Any civlilian company or organization with ties to the government, whether it be grants, board chairmen, what have you, are grounds for suspicion.

That rules out almost every corporation in the US, and most large corporations worldwide.  There are few corporations that don't have some sort of link to public funding or former government officials serving on their boards.  If all of those connections imply required knowledge of a conspiracy, we are back up to an unsustainable number of people.

Any civlilian company or organization with ties to the government, whether it be grants, board chairmen, what have you, are grounds for suspicion.

That is a lot of people involved in a conspiracy, unless you think they aren't part of the conspiracy and just shady for having dealings with the government...?

Depends on the situation.  An ex-NASA chairman is now Director for the University of Texas McDonald's Observatory would be an example.

Depends on the situation.  An ex-NASA chairman is now Director for the University of Texas McDonald's Observatory would be an example.

I would site that as an example of cronyism and not conspiracy TBH.

Depends on the situation.  An ex-NASA chairman is now Director for the University of Texas McDonald's Observatory would be an example.

All of their government connections couldn't keep them from having to pay over $25000 in fines for OSHA safety violations.

Thats because OSHA is higher up than the government, or at least it seems that way sometimes.

They haven't.  Just because this guy says he wants to doesn't necassarily mean he is going to.

Well, already over 20 people have paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to reserve a spot.

It will happen.

Plus, even tho I'm sure this point has been brought up a million times, there's no way a "secret" like this could be kept among so many people, which is clearly something you FET's don't understand. Hell, when there's one or two people who know where Paris Hilton is, word gets out and a hundred paparazzi will be there. How the hell would something that millions of people supposedly know of get kept secret?

lol, everything about this is comical. I sure hope you don't go around telling your friends that you think the earth is flat, then again, you prolly wouldn't have any friends to tell if you did that....

Except that millions of people aren't in on it.

Personally, I don't think the government will allow a civilian to build a rocket privately with ICBM capabilities.

too late. There are now private civilians with space programs. EVer heard of SpaceShip 1