Re: Space Tourism Is Not Noble and It’s Not Worth Lives

andrewgarcia86 — Sat, 01 Nov 2014 11:51:56 -0000

I'm in agreement with some of the people here who think this is a terrible article. There's nothing wrong with calling it like it is by identifying the differences in motive and form-factor of Branson's vs. Elon Musk's ventures. But they are both part of a burgeoning private industry wave...it IS a bold field with undeveloped technology, a lot of risk and a deeply meaningful aspirational quality that DOES inspire people.

So maybe the author of this article doesn't like the nature of Branson's value proposition in Virgin Galactic's space tourism model, yet we need it. We need space tourism, just like we need competition with the Chinese, we need commercial subcontracting (like what SpaceX has achieved) and we need startups working on technical challenges like space elevators. It's all part of a grander effort so without one we lose momentum on the entire thing.

The author says it's a mistake to lump them in together but respectfully Adam Rogers, I think you are so mistaken. I work as a professional skydiver and we have an equivalent sentiment that taking people on first-time tandem jumps is just like a rollercoaster ride. Instructors call it "hauling meat" and many experienced sport jumpers ignore tandems on the dropzone like a nuisance. Yet we need them. Tandems are what pay for the planes to get off the ground and like it or not it is now one of the largest entry mechanisms for young skydivers to join the sport since it makes the experience so accessible to people who are natural skydivers but simply don't know it and wouldn't otherwise venture to try it.

I am sure that the growing private space industry will be ultimately interdependent in this same way and we'll need space tourism and it's rich customers to help keep costs down and to popularize the idea of space being accessible. How many Americans never leave their own hometown, let alone the country to travel and see the world? If we can't motivate people and make them think that there are new, exciting frontiers that can change their lives (and perhaps even give longevity to our species) then what are we doing?

-PS...I basically never post on these things because of all the trolls but I feel strongly about the importance of the private space "race" in our development as a species.

Re: Big Desert Antenna BASE Jump

andrewgarcia86 — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 21:44:07 -0000

What's your justification to that? A's allow for the one of the least risks of an object strike when done right (ie downwind exit).

Re: Caption Sad Face!

andrewgarcia86 — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 20:45:27 -0000

I figured I'd fart on the ground instead of at altitude, but no one else agreed.

Re: iPad App Review: Jot!

andrewgarcia86 — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:56:03 -0000

Or you could just use www.Jotstack.com! Not sure it's an apples to apples comparison but as a webapp I feel like like Jotstack is more portable than Jot. Plus Jotstack is completely free and more geared towards just writing and jotting stuff down quickly/on the fly.

Re: Post Semester Wrap-up, Pre Summer Ramp-up

andrewgarcia86 — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 14:46:57 -0000

Hey! Super awesome! That's crazy you were up at Cornell...awesome muzak btw. I'm an Ithaca College student actually...also a DJ/Producer, so I was intrigued that you're getting a new MIDI Controller. I'm into a lot of OSC programming with Reaktor and Max/MSP and other visual languages, but MIDI can be fun, nonetheless.

Take care,
A

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Re: Space Tourism Is Not Noble and It’s Not Worth Lives

Re: Big Desert Antenna BASE Jump

Re: Caption Sad Face!

Re: iPad App Review: Jot!

Re: Post Semester Wrap-up, Pre Summer Ramp-up