/sci/ - Science & Math

What are /sci/'s opinions on the future of spaceflight?

Do you think the existing public space system should remain or be replaced by the emerging private sector spaceflight industry? Or is there a role for both to play?

So supposedly SpaceX plans to initial public offering some time next year (probably in the spring after the Dragon-ISS docking next February).

Obviously Musk and his investors are going to buy up a lot of the stock but I've been thinking...

Say a couple hundred like-minded people each buy some shares when the company goes public - could this group of individuals collectively form a large enough voting block that they could have some minor influence over the company's direction?

So, with the successful launch of Progress 45 and a crew cycle mission slated for mid-November, it looks like normal Soyuz operations have been restored.

Is there any chance SpaceX can bump its Dragon-ISS docking mission back up to its original Nov 30 launch window?

So, optimistically the budget supercommittee will only cut $3-5 billion from NASA's budget. While that's terrible, could there be a silver lining to this possibility?

A recent report from NASA on the cost and timetable for developing the congressionally-mandated SLS low-balled an estimate of $40 billion or more over the next decade, several times what Congress has allocated to its development, and that's just to have one manned SLS/MPVC flight before 2020.

If substantial budget cuts are in NASA's future could this finally be enough to convince Congress to abandon the SLS program and get behind the move towards fully privatized LEO operations?

http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-07-spacex-mission-space-station-flight.html

If SpaceX pulls this off without issue it might finally prove to Congress that commercial spaceflight is a viable alternative to the ridiculous SLS proposal.

Here's hoping.

A proposal to /sci/:

SpaceX plans to begin public trading some time next year. I propose we each buy several shares during the initial public offering. While achieving majority control is very unlikely, between all of the commercial space supporters on /sci/ we could at least establish a large block amongst SpaceX's shareholders.

Combined - /sci/ shareholders could actually have some level of influence over SpaceX's policies and direction.

Anyone see the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch today?

that shit was nominal as fuck!

We hadn't launched a capsule into space in 40 years!