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View Full Version : Burt Rutan Speaks!



AlphaWhiskeyFoxtrot
October 7th, 2008, 17:52
Kinda old news, but I just saw it so I thought I might share:
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/burt_rutan_sees_the_future_of_space.html

-Conrad

Lionheart
October 7th, 2008, 19:07
Many thanks Conrad for posting this.

That was one heck of an inspirational speech. He is an amazing soul.

They have made a new aircraft design, every year since 1986.... :applause:


I think he is totally right. NASA is too huge to do it, and would cost too much for them to do the things they 'need' to be doing. Perhaps NASA will become a sort of Air Traffic Control for 'known space' instead of making vehicles. Perhaps they will be STC, (Space Traffic Control).

We do need to be making the vehicles that go up. Each country could be making shuttles by now. Why not?

Its about time that someone stand up and talk out for the future...


and.... I totally agree with how the new space program plans are archaic. Sounds like a return to the 1960's instead of the future of possibilities...




Bill

WuhWuzDat
October 7th, 2008, 19:34
Yup, the new NASA manned vehicle strongly resmbles a bunch of 60's and 70's technology, all bolted together....lets take a Shuttle SRB, put a Saturn V 3rd stage on top of it, and throw a double size Apollo command module on top of that......

...and for heavy lift, lets build a Titan IIIC lookalike with a modified Saturn V 1st stage, and just use some more of those Shuttle SRB's on the sides...

jmig
October 8th, 2008, 05:21
When NASA first started they were far-sighted gifted thinkers. Now they are government. Since when has government done anything new...or right?

DaveKDEN
October 8th, 2008, 07:36
Don't mean to sound like a wet blanket, but what's with those sideburns? Seriously, Rutan is a visionary in many ways, but pardon me for thinking his entire speech sounded like a sales pitch for Scaled Composites and Space Ship II (and he comes off as a bit arrogant). NASA is constrained by bureaucracy and the political whims of whoever's running the show in Washington (both President AND Congress - remember Congress has the power of the purse). Yet NASA continues to do (IMO) some wonderful things within the bounds of the
bureaucratic nightmare that now exists. However, let's not forget, there's a vast difference between flying even up to Mach 3, vs. going to orbit or to the Moon and beyond.

Probably get slammed for my input, but so be it. :isadizzy: