Around the Water Cooler panelists answered the following this week: Are you a believer in the future of the commercial space flight industry?
Ruth Erickson: “Sir Richard Branson and others are not giving up and we shouldn’t. Many sciences and technologies used in space flight have benefitted us on earth. Government spending on space research and development has slowed down, so commercial spending should forge ahead even if it is with space tourism. Hopefully we can still learn something new from the technology. We should not be left behind other industrial nations in the space industry.”
Mary Zanger: “No. Thirty years ago we had the Concorde, a supersonic flight from France’s Charles DeGaulle to New York’s JFK in four hours. The Concorde’s brief success met an untimely accidental death at takeoff. That semi-space travel had clear destinations and comfortable in-flight service. How could a space flight industry serve the public with comparable amenities? What insurance would guarantee safety? I believe that future space flight exploits would be pure frolic for the wealthy.”
Jim West: “No, it is too expensive and space travel is still very dangerous. The latest Virgin Atlantic expedition is just the latest in series of space travel catastrophes.”
Cesar Flores: “Yes, I have seen a lot of changes in my life, from ‘crank-style’ telephones to ‘iphones. androids,etc.’ If you take a look at the history of aviation, you will see that it took a relatively short time from ‘Kitty Hawk’ to a ‘giant step for mankind’. Through out the entire development process of new aircraft and the Aerospace Program, casualties have occurred. Individuals who gave their lives in pursuit of their dreams.”
