Stratolaunch Systems

[Wanderlust]

Paul Allen has formed a new company that has created an alliance between 3 others to build a new launch system.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh29Pm1Rrc0

[transcend]

always wondered why they didn't do that with the shuttle in the first place

[Ja'k Dawsiin]

the only problem i have with civilian spacecraft programs and vehicle designs,is the safety and redundancy systems. even though everyone makes the biting and sarcastic remarks about gov't systems being built by the lowest bidder and all that trashmedia jazz,the safety systems built into the Space Shuttle,nuclear aircraft carriers,and nuclear submarines both in propulsion and nuclear missles,are top-flight and have generally two back-ups for every primary safety system,especially with submarines. three different individuals check valves,locks,launch tubes,fail-safes,etc,and sign for their check,and every system has both an electric/electronic backup and a mechanical or hand-operated emergency back-up.

so these vehicles that are being hurled into space,breaking free of the gravity well,and entering the airless,unforgiving vacuum of dead space,have all the hugely-successful backup systems from the Space Shuttle and all the hard-lessons learned redundancy systems from the Gemini,Mercury,Apollo programs??? how about these new-design launch gantries that are totally computer-designed with no asked input from the over 50 years of space experience of NASA and 27 previous years of space-logged hours of the United States Air Force,of the pre-NASA 'Right Stuff' generation? i put my trust in experience,not the almighty buck.

i would love to see space exploration in my lifetime,but first you need a moon base/station,and a space-based orbiting shipyard/docking/refueling facility. science-fiction is not fiction.

[DeMouse]

The companies will take every measure reasonable to prevent an accident because if there were many then they would lose all business. Thats how this sort of thing works.