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December 01, 2004
Informatio: Linkage
Burt Rutan...
I’ve never had a lot of heroes in life, but for more reasons than one, Burt Rutan might just be one of them.
From Wired News:
For nearly half a century, the government has held a monopoly on manned space exploration. Quite predictably, this approach has not served us well. NASA is clinging blindly to an embarrassingly expensive and dangerous space shuttle program that should have been scrapped years ago. Before SpaceShipOne, if you wanted to get to space you’d have to pay $20 million for a trip on a Russian Soyuz rocket. Now it’s clear: Manned space travel’s best hope is the private sector, not NASA.Read the rest here.
Posted at 09:46 am
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Comments (12):
can you say “SMART”?. Damn. However, to say that the private sector equates or insures safety… i dunno. and $100,000 isnt really cost efficient, but its a start. but this guy is amazing. i wonder if he supports mufon.com? cool post.
Dennisthemenace () - December 01, 2004 at 10:18 am
Hmmm… MUFON? I don’t even know if I support MUFON! 
timsamoff () (URL) - December 01, 2004 at 10:23 am
It doesn’t exactly surprise me that the private sector can do something not just better, but more efficiently than the government. Why be surprised?
If I have my math right, $100,000 goes into $20 million 200 times. I’d say that is pretty cost efficient from the purchasing side of things. For every $1 spent by the private company(ies), NASA spends $200 on red tape. Then again, my math could be horribly off…
If I have my math right, $100,000 goes into $20 million 200 times. I’d say that is pretty cost efficient from the purchasing side of things. For every $1 spent by the private company(ies), NASA spends $200 on red tape. Then again, my math could be horribly off…
Kevin () (URL) - December 01, 2004 at 11:25 am
well, i meant as far as cost efficient in general, not by comparison. but yes, that is true.
Dennisthemenace () - December 01, 2004 at 11:47 am
Well, not to rain on anyone’s parade, but this is a vast, truly vast, oversimplification of the situation. Burt Rutan is a great guy, but he’s an experimental airplane builder. You can get away with a lot of stuff that way. If he had to design and build anything to real FAR standards he would be just as “inefficient” as NASA or a major commercial manufacturer. Not that NASA hasn’t made mistakes, but if Rutan had to operate on the same scale he’d face many of the same problems. He does what he does (and prefers it that way) because he has a small, agile organization that does cool stuff.
Most people don’t realize just how much on the ragged edge SpaceShipOne really was. Notice how they’re not volunteering to take anyone up today?
Let’s wait and see how long it takes him to get an FAA certified airplane ready for passenger service. (Hint: don’t hold your breath.)
Most people don’t realize just how much on the ragged edge SpaceShipOne really was. Notice how they’re not volunteering to take anyone up today?
Let’s wait and see how long it takes him to get an FAA certified airplane ready for passenger service. (Hint: don’t hold your breath.)
dave paisley () (URL) - December 01, 2004 at 4:39 pm
Dave, thanks for commenting — I’m always happy to have a real-live expert chime in!
As for Rutan… Yes, he is experimental — and that’s why I admire him — not only for experimenting, but for taking action as well. I’m glad others are seeing the benefits of his work — which I think are great and which fall in line with some of the stuff my favorite authors have been writing about for years. But there’s definitely a lot of work that must be done before this kind of thing can truly reach the private sector.
I can only dream!
As for Rutan… Yes, he is experimental — and that’s why I admire him — not only for experimenting, but for taking action as well. I’m glad others are seeing the benefits of his work — which I think are great and which fall in line with some of the stuff my favorite authors have been writing about for years. But there’s definitely a lot of work that must be done before this kind of thing can truly reach the private sector.
I can only dream!
timsamoff () (URL) - December 01, 2004 at 4:52 pm
i had thoughts about what dave just said. however, still a very interesting guy and smart dude. i wonder if insurance premiums would be enough to keep SpaceShipOne (okay, thats not the most original name i’ve ever heard). what the heck does dave do?! is he a rocket scientist?
Dennisthemenace () - December 01, 2004 at 6:32 pm
Dave is an airplane designer.
timsamoff () (URL) - December 01, 2004 at 10:23 pm
Well, I was a little bit leery about commenting because it’s so easy to come off negative. But you guys are so cool 
Just to amplify on Tim’s comment, I design airplanes for a major commercial aerospace company located in the Seattle area. You’ve probably flown our planes if you’ve ever flown, say, more than 200 miles. And if you’re flying 10 years from now you may be flying on what I’m working on now.
I know and work closely with lots of people who know Burt Rutan and I am the first to give him major props for his accomplishments. However, his bashing NASA here is uncalled for (but of course it makes a good pop-science story which is why Wired picked it up, and he may not have said it exactly as written, either.)
Winning the X-prize was an amazing accomplishment, but don’t buy the hype of how “easy” it was. It was pretty much a ragged edge mission, especially the second one (which had to take place within a specificed time of the first one to win the prize).
Rutan gets to run a little chop shop which is a far cry from, say, Bo*ing. It’s a very cool chop shop, but it doesn’t have to live by anything like the same rules.
I’d love to see the insurance rates on commercial SpaceShipOne flights right now (and you think medical malpractice insurance is steep…
pax
dave
Just to amplify on Tim’s comment, I design airplanes for a major commercial aerospace company located in the Seattle area. You’ve probably flown our planes if you’ve ever flown, say, more than 200 miles. And if you’re flying 10 years from now you may be flying on what I’m working on now.
I know and work closely with lots of people who know Burt Rutan and I am the first to give him major props for his accomplishments. However, his bashing NASA here is uncalled for (but of course it makes a good pop-science story which is why Wired picked it up, and he may not have said it exactly as written, either.)
Winning the X-prize was an amazing accomplishment, but don’t buy the hype of how “easy” it was. It was pretty much a ragged edge mission, especially the second one (which had to take place within a specificed time of the first one to win the prize).
Rutan gets to run a little chop shop which is a far cry from, say, Bo*ing. It’s a very cool chop shop, but it doesn’t have to live by anything like the same rules.
I’d love to see the insurance rates on commercial SpaceShipOne flights right now (and you think medical malpractice insurance is steep…
pax
dave
dave paisley () (URL) - December 02, 2004 at 12:57 am
alright… Dave’s friggin smart, too. damn all these smart people and i work in a cubicle… excuse me while i jump off a cliff. oh wait, make that an airplane wing.
Dennisthemenace () - December 02, 2004 at 10:41 am
Well we all know that at major aerospace corporations us engineers have our own butler and maid to keep our palatial offices clean and well stocked with vintage brandy, and with tea and crumpets delivered promptly at 3 pm… Oh wait, that must be the other major aerospace companies. ;)
dave paisley () (URL) - December 02, 2004 at 6:06 pm
i hate that word “crumpets”. Its right up there with “nicknacks”. i need help, i know.
Dennisthemenace () - December 02, 2004 at 6:52 pm
