NASA, Virgin Galactic to develop hypersonic spacecraft

NASA said Wednesday it has inked a two-year agreement with space-tourism company Virgin Galactic to collaborate on future technologies for commercial spaceflight.

As part of the deal, Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic will work with the scientists and facilities at the NASA Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley to support its current plans for suborbital spaceflight. By 2008, Virgin Galactic, a U.S. subsidiary of Branson's Virgin Group, plans to take six passengers up to a low-Earth orbit in its SpaceShipTwo. How exactly NASA will assist in that effort is still up for discussion, according to a NASA representative.

In addition, NASA and Virgin Galactic will explore the development of technologies that go beyond Virgin's suborbital effort. Those will include hybrid rocket motors and hypersonic vehicles capable of traveling five times the speed of sound, according to NASA.

Virgin Galactic is "really looking forward to exploring opportunities for the future and making hypersonic point-to-point travel a reality," Virgin Galactic Chief Operating Officer Alex Tai said in a statement.

NASA and Virgin Galactic signed a memorandum of understanding that stipulates neither will "pay fees or provide funds to support the areas of possible consideration."

The private-public partnership is only the latest for the government agency, which has faced cutbacks in recent years. For example, NASA Ames has teamed with everyone from Mountain View, Calif.-based Google to Oklahoma-based Rocketplane Kistler to explore new space technologies.

"This new type of private-public partnership can benefit the agency while helping to foster a new industry," said Dan Coughlin, who works at NASA's Space Portal, a newly formed group to foster space tourism, and who forged the Virgin Galactic deal.

[georgescott]

No money = no product

--- snip ---
NASA and Virgin Galactic signed a memorandum of understanding that stipulates neither will "pay fees or provide funds to support the areas of possible consideration."
--- snip ---

This must be a misquote because if neither is going to put out any money then the employees are going to have to do the work for free and on there own time.

If the employees are going to do this for free, the employees might as well keep the benefits and sell them to Jeff Bezos's amazon.com spaceship thing.

[georgescott]

No money = no product

--- snip ---
NASA and Virgin Galactic signed a memorandum of understanding that stipulates neither will "pay fees or provide funds to support the areas of possible consideration."
--- snip ---

This must be a misquote because if neither is going to put out any money then the employees are going to have to do the work for free and on there own time.

If the employees are going to do this for free, the employees might as well keep the benefits and sell them to Jeff Bezos's amazon.com spaceship thing.

[scdecade]

Cancel NASA

NASA=welfare for scientists

NASA IMO is a complete waste of money. $16B/yr and they cannot even launch a human being into space safely after 40+ years of trying. It's beyond ridiculous and beyond even pathetic. NASA is nothing but a government make work program. The cold war is over. Cancel NASA and create tax incentives instead. Better yet, just cut all taxes and let people entertain themselves as they see fit. If that involves "outer space" then so be it.

[scdecade]

Cancel NASA

NASA=welfare for scientists

NASA IMO is a complete waste of money. $16B/yr and they cannot even launch a human being into space safely after 40+ years of trying. It's beyond ridiculous and beyond even pathetic. NASA is nothing but a government make work program. The cold war is over. Cancel NASA and create tax incentives instead. Better yet, just cut all taxes and let people entertain themselves as they see fit. If that involves "outer space" then so be it.

[grey_eminence]

How about 10 % the Speed of Light

Propose taking space shuttle round trip to Mars,

144d days ! - 62,000,000 miles/hr !

http://www.p2pnet.net/story/14705

[grey_eminence]

How about 10 % the Speed of Light

Propose taking space shuttle round trip to Mars,

144d days ! - 62,000,000 miles/hr !

http://www.p2pnet.net/story/14705

[grey_eminence]

Should be 67,000,000 NOT 62,000,000

Eh, a million miles an hour more or less
nothing could be sweeter.

[grey_eminence]

Should be 67,000,000 NOT 62,000,000

Eh, a million miles an hour more or less
nothing could be sweeter.

[Lolo Gecko]

gosh, ...

that's really swell

[Lolo Gecko]

gosh, ...

that's really swell