New Mars Forums

augmento

InActive

From: South Korea

Registered: 2005-08-01

Posts: 11

Re: Legit Private efforts

I was wondering what if any organizations that are pursuing private human space flight agendas are anything more than a web page. I would really like to invest, donate, or contribute to a real effort but i am severely unimpressed with what google turns up.

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play with me! [url]http://www.augmenton.net[/url]

Rxke

Member

From: Belgium

Registered: 2003-11-03

Posts: 3,669

Re: Legit Private efforts

I guess it will take time for those startups to come up with real hardware, many have tried, none have succeeded so far... It's a huge undertaking. Many, many stumbling blocks.

Also, the ones that are close to flying hardware are already multi-million undertakings, so small donations will probably be welcome, but not making much difference.
Elon Musk once commented that the best way to support interesting firms is to buy their products, in this case that would be a reservation to a flight I guess? Big risk... Lotsa money for something you're betting on in that case.

If all goes well, tomorrow may mark a milestone: the Falcon launch.

GCNRevenger

Member

From: Earth

Registered: 2003-10-14

Posts: 6,056

Re: Legit Private efforts

Of all the so-called "AltSpace" shops, pretty much the only one that has a chance of sucess is Elon Musk's Space-X and their Falcon-I rocket. No other small time startup company, with some like the Kistler folks despite several hundred million in extra cash, has managed to actually build an orbital launch vehicle.

Space-X seems to be the only game in town, and their rocket is pretty darn puny, with only the sucessor rocket perhaps being heavy enough to lift a Gemini-sized space capsule.

Let Elon build the rocket... if private firms want manned spaceflight ability, they ought to focus on building a capsule to go on top of the Falcon-V and sell tickets or something.

I really can't see how any AltSpace company is going to make enough money for orbital ventures, there just isn't enough market to bring in that kind of money launching satelites and the occasional super-rich tourist.

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[i]"The power of accurate observation is often called cynicism by those that do not have it." - George Bernard Shaw[/i]

[i]The glass is at 50% of capacity[/i]

FunkyJ

InActive

Registered: 2006-02-09

Posts: 4

Re: Legit Private efforts

My money would be on Bigelow Aerospace if I could.

Rutan of Scaled Composites is working on a 'secret project' apparently so who knows what he is working on. Maybe he is building the plane to win the Americas Space Prize. He could be building SpaceDevs Dream Chaser for all we know.

Boeing's got Sea Launch (or at least 40% of it). Sea Launch's record is flippin amazing if you ask me. Yet still an expensive flight.

I'm pretty confidant that SpaceDev will manage to make money and not actually contribute to space exploration. They seem more talk then action. A mean common, they purchased a launch for 2008 from SpaceX and they don't even plan to launch anything! Absurd!

Keep an eye out for the first company to actually produce carbon nanotubes in bulk form. Then invest in LiftPort Group.

You can't forget Orbital Technologies Corp. At least they sell Lunar and Mars soil stimulant. They also seem to get along really well with NASA. Any company willing to produce an Advanced Animal Habitat just screams MARS!

Oh yeah, any company that is currently producing genetically modified foods will be very important to a Martian colony. Also anyone currently building or testing LOX/Methane rockets. That will be the rocket fuel post the Presidents Lack Of Vision Plan.

Hope my opinion helps (I'm also on the lookout
FunkyJ

SpaceNut

Administrator

From: New Hampshire

Registered: 2004-07-22

Posts: 29,433

Re: Legit Private efforts

Welcome Augmento and FunkyJ to NewMars. With regards to the topic question of Legit Private efforts, are there any that have a chance?

The One man one way suicide mission... once past the thread title was a very good attempt to go. It did indicate that once you have the cash one could with current technology be on ones way in short order.

Mars_B4_Moon

Member

Registered: 2006-03-23

Posts: 9,776

Re: Legit Private efforts

another older topic worth a look perhaps

NASA studies to examine commercial partnerships for Mars exploration

https://spacenews.com/nasa-studies-to-e … ploration/

The studies are intended to examine four specific design reference missions to explore commercial opportunities to support Mars exploration: delivery of small payloads of up to 20 kilograms to Mars orbit, delivery of large payloads of up to 1,250 kilograms to Mars orbit, services to provide high-resolution imaging of the Martian surface and communications relay services between Mars and Earth.

Last edited by Mars_B4_Moon (2024-03-05 11:33:21)