Would you go on a privately owned spaceship?

Billionaires spend more money on football clubs as a hobby so there will be the customers.

One explosion and I can see the industry collapsing.
 
Thats a major problem, as awesome as a trip to the moon sounds, the risk of something going wrong with the shuttle is a scary thought.
 
Without a doubt. If the opportunity was there I wouldn't hesitate to go.

It is a great regret that I can't see myself going.
 
AcidHell2 said:
Yes. I would, they wouldn't cut corners, it would devaste their company. Who's going to book if they keep blowing up. The risk however is high as It's space travel, I would still be willing though.
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When a new bit of software or hardware comes out for the PC, many of us wait for the expected bugs and other issues to be discovered and then buy the updated version.The point I'm really making is that whilst they may not cut corners, there 'could' realistically be catastrophe on the first few excursions. It's a new company don't forget and even nasa with their massive experience of space flight had fatal catastrophies in the early years of space flight including of course 2 space shuttles, and those were the tiniest details which led to the vehicles breaking up.
 
Marine Iguana said:
1 of which could have been avoided :(
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Both of them could have been avoided.

Merlin5 said:
space flight had fatal catastrophies in the early years of space flight including of course 2 space shuttles, and those were the tiniest details which led to the vehicles breaking up.
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The Challenger disaster was the 25th flight of the Shuttle (3 years after it was built) - and the Columbia the 117th (22 years after it was built IIRC). Not really the early days :)

I think that the first recorded death as a direct result of space flight (not IN space) wasn't until 1967 - six years after the first manned American and Russian space flights.

There have only been three deaths in what classifies as space - the crew of Soyuz 11, in 1971, who died when the cabin pressurisation systems failed at an altitude of 104 miles. The beginning of space is classed as approximately 62 miles, so they just qualify. All the other spaceflight-related deaths have been on the ground, during launch or reentry.

According to Wrongepedia:

About five percent of the people that have been launched have died doing so. As of November 2004, 439 individuals have flown on spaceflights: Russia/Soviet Union (96), USA (277), others (66).[citation needed] Twenty-two have died while in a spacecraft: three on Apollo 1, one on Soyuz 1, one on X-15-3, three on Soyuz 11, seven on Challenger, and seven on Columbia. By space program, 18 NASA astronauts (4.1%) and four Russian cosmonauts (0.9% of all the people launched) died while in a spacecraft.[dated info]

Soyuz accidents have claimed the lives of four cosmonauts. No deaths have occurred on Soyuz missions since 1971, and none with the current design of the Soyuz. Including the early Soyuz design, the average deaths per launched crew member on Soyuz are currently under two percent. However, there have also been several serious injuries, and some other incidents in which crews nearly died.
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Not a good percentage - of course - but still not as bad as one might imagine.
 
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Biohazard said:
Why?

Plenty of planes blow up, fall out the sky etc.

That industry is still going..
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Yes, but people need to travel for various of reasons. To space? Hmm, I can't see that quite being so necessary. The type of person that can afford this usually value their lives above anything else. One explosion and it will be a long long time before anyone gets up there again.
 
Twentyone said:
Well you would be the first tourist to die in a privately owned ship :D
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Most expensive death? I doubt that's a record but paying over $100m for the privilege would have to put you in with a shout at that title.

regulus said:
Yes, but people need to travel for various of reasons. To space? Hmm, I can't see that quite being so necessary. The type of person that can afford this usually value their lives above anything else. One explosion and it will be a long long time before anyone gets up there again.
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There are at least a few people who've got that sort of money and do comparable things so they'd probably do this if they could because it's the conceivably the next big exploration challenge. Sir Richard Branson and the late Steve Fossett being two such individuals. The main downside against this sort of thing from their point of view is that it's probably not at a stage where they can really explore as much as they'd like.

As for me - I'd have no objection to trying it but there's probably other things that I prefer to spend $100m+ on first.
 
Merlin5 said:
When a new bit of software or hardware comes out for the PC, many of us wait for the expected bugs and other issues to be discovered and then buy the updated version.The point I'm really making is that whilst they may not cut corners, there 'could' realistically be catastrophe on the first few excursions. It's a new company don't forget and even nasa with their massive experience of space flight had fatal catastrophies in the early years of space flight including of course 2 space shuttles, and those were the tiniest details which led to the vehicles breaking up.
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The first few excursions are in tests. Just like virgin galactic, which has already done several trips.
when you're talking about that much thrust, there is always a risk and the tiniest problem is going to be catastrophic. It will be part and parcel of space travel for decades, probably centurys, until we build a space elevator.

There has already been loads of people sign up and pay deposits. I'm pretty sure Stephen Hawkins is one.
 
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Forde said:
If I had that kind of cash, and I was of retirement sort of age I'd go for it. The last true adventure - worth more than the money, really!
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Totally agree, id go now, and 150 million is an absolute bargain!!!! How on earth they have managed to charge so little to fly someone to the moon is beyond me, it cost nasa about 25 billion $ in 1960's (I read somewhere around $135 billion in 2005 money) for 24 people to of flown to the moon (12 walked on it), granted the walking on the moon will bump up the price a lot but still, thats five billion six hundred twenty-five million in todays money, so however spacex is getting people to the moon for only 150 million its high praise for them!!

Seriously need to figure out how to raise the cash.
 
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