SpaceX plans to send two people around the Moon in late 2018

[dustoff17]

In space, nobody can prove you hugged.

Fixed it!!

 

[pullup]

Until it goes wrong. They can't even make self driving cars that don't occasionally mistake a semi for the sky and drive into it.

Personally I'll take that risk, this has been my dream forever.

 

[NovemberEcho]

Personally I'll take that risk, this has been my dream forever.

Add in a crew so the whole thing isn't automated and I'm down. Last thing I want is to fly through space in a glorified Airbus =P

 

[JeppUpdater]

Worth another watch:

And:

I was flying during the second one and on the phone with my girlfriend who's watching it and starts laughing and says "they just landed a rocket (practically uncontrollable laughter) on a fudging boat"
...but she didn't say fudge...

 

[derg]

I'd go without hesitation.

If I make it, awesome. If I didn't, the datastream would be priceless and helpful.

 

[knot4u]

I'm a scairdy cat, nope, nope, nope. I hope everything goes well, but when the sub rides in Honolulu make me a bit edgy I know I'm not the intrepid adventurer their looking for.

 

[tlove482]

I'd go without hesitation.

If I make it, awesome. If I didn't, the datastream would be priceless and helpful.

My fear wouldn't be an explosion, it would be flying off into space and starving to death or suffocating because I went off course.

 

[Finny]

My fear wouldn't be an explosion, it would be flying off into space and starving to death or suffocating because I went off course.

Gotta make sure to take your E6B and calculate your solar crosswinds properly!

 

[killbilly]

NASA's problem, I feel, is they need long term financial support and our federal government's commitment gets shifted every two years.

Space drives innovation.

Y'all do know that SpaceX is heavily subsidized by NASA, yeah?

This is very much public-private partnership and very much less "private space industry."

 

[trafficinsight]

Y'all do know that SpaceX is heavily subsidized by NASA, yeah?

This is very much public-private partnership and very much less "private space industry."

Not even Elon Musk has enough money to send people around the moon for no reason.

 

[gne in prog]

I doubt it'll happen next year, but I really hope it happens.

 

[av8tr1]

Not even Elon Musk has enough money to send people around the moon for no reason.

In this case it's not Elon's or NASA's money. Apparently the 2 future space cadets are footing the full bill.

 

[NovemberEcho]

My fear wouldn't be an explosion, it would be flying off into space and starving to death or suffocating because I went off course.

Hopefully they remember to convert feet to meters this time lol

 

[Cptnchia]

My fear wouldn't be an explosion, it would be flying off into space and starving to death or suffocating because I went off course.

They make a pill for that...

 

[MikeD]

In this case it's not Elon's or NASA's money. Apparently the 2 future space cadets are footing the full bill.

That's alot of cabbage to spend to film this endeavor in the hangar at R-4808......

 

[100LL]

Two predictions on this one:

1) No way this is going to happen in 2018. Ever notice grand missions are unveiled 10 or 20 years in advance but somehow never materialize?
2) If it is attempted, the two passengers won't be returning alive.

Love to be proven wrong on this, I'll be back to eat humble pie.

 

[scramjet]

The FAA says that private astronauts have to possess at least an instrument rating and, if flying for compensation, a commercial. I suspect that the two unnamed potential astronauts in this case could be some of Hollywood's celebrity aviators...

 

[MikeD]

The FAA says that private astronauts have to possess at least an instrument rating and, if flying for compensation, a commercial. I suspect that the two unnamed potential astronauts in this case could be some of Hollywood's celebrity aviators...

Harrison Ford is out......

 

[NovemberEcho]

The FAA says that private astronauts have to possess at least an instrument rating and, if flying for compensation, a commercial. I suspect that the two unnamed potential astronauts in this case could be some of Hollywood's celebrity aviators...

Maybe it's Tom Cruise sponsored by the Churxh of Scientology to try and find L. Ron Hubbard and the Eton spaceship.

Seriously though, would the be considered astronauts or just passengers? A License won't mean jack on a fully automated flight.

 

[scramjet]

Maybe it's Tom Cruise sponsored by the Churxh of Scientology to try and find L. Ron Hubbard and the Eton spaceship.

Seriously though, would the be considered astronauts or just passengers?

I would guess that at least one of them would be considered PIC and subjected to the appropriate CFRs. Since they are paying, I can't imagine they'll be required to have a commercial just an instrument rating. In some respects (from my admittedly meager knowledge of astrodynamics), spaceflight is generally less "hands on" than atmospheric flight because of the stable, predictable nature of basic Newtonian physics as it relates to trajectories, orbital states etc