Blue Origin – Page 8 – Our Awesome Universe

Space Trips: Getting Too Costly?

Posted on March 12, 2022September 20, 2022 by onespaceman2000

^{Source/Credit: Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser room from Disney World.}

I thought we were trying to bring down the cost of space travel. Someone may need to inform Disney. It was already expensive enough for visit Disney World under normal circumstances, but now it is crazy if you want to be part of the new Star Wars adventure. Would you like to spend up to $20,000 for a two night stay in its Star Wars’ themed luxury suite? It is less than a spaceflight on Blue Origin, but at least you leave the ground with Blue Origin.

The new Star Wars immersive experience hotel opened March 1st, and I am sure plenty of people in this economy will plop down the money given that TSA will not be asking for the Covid test results before letting them return to Earth (unlike a trip to Earth-bound France).

Here is how Disney World sells it:

Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is a revolutionary new 2-night experience where you are the hero. You and your group will embark on a first-of-its-kind Star Wars adventure that’s your own. It’s the most immersive Star Wars story ever created—one where you live a bespoke experience and journey further into a Star Wars adventure than you ever dreamed possible.

Looking at the website, you should plan to spend about $4,800 for a two night stay for two, and about $6,000 if you are a group of four. I would expect each room to come with massage droids, but I did not see that on the list of services. However, you do get a hair dryer with your room. Even with these prices, I found only six available nights over the next three months.

The Washington Post just had a piece about the high prices at the Disney parks, wondering whether the magic is gone. I am not sure about finding magic in a hotel room with no real windows, but I want to point out that Florida has other less expensive ways to get into the space spirit, from the Kennedy Space Center to the US Air Force Space and Missile Museum. Spend what you want, but I think you can keep the dream alive without giving the t-shirt off your back.

SpaceX Junkets?

Posted on February 18, 2022March 30, 2022 by onespaceman2000

^{Source/Credit: Inspiration 4 crew from SpaceX.}

I guess once was not enough. Billionaire Jared Isaacman wants to spend even more money sending private citizens into space aboard SpaceX spacecraft. He funded his first private flight last September, called Inspiration 4, and now wants to do three more of these flights. The first one raised funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, whereas it is not clear whether these other voyages also relate to charitable causes.

Space tourism is all the rage these days, with Captain Kirk going up on Blue Origin’s capsule and Virgin Galactic sending Sir Richard Branson into space in preparation of paying customers in the near future. SpaceX always seemed to have more serious goals, but I suppose a buck is a buck.

The first of these three new flights is planned for later this year and will include a spacewalk and science experiments. The second will involve SpaceX’s Dragon, which is currently used for trips to the International Space Station (ISS). The third will involve SpaceX’s Starship created for lunar missions under NASA’s Artemis program.

Apparently, these new missions are expected to “…serve a bigger purpose of opening up space for everyone and making humankind a multiplanetary species, and ideally, have a benefit for the things we’re trying to accomplish back here on Earth.” Once might ask whether this bigger purpose, such as space walks and science experiments, can already be performed by professional astronauts aboard the ISS. It is hard to believe these new vanity missions are critical. And maybe dangerous stunts on such missions should only be performed by a professional team, but Mr. Isaacman wants to command the mission. I cannot see how having an accident on one of these flights will benefit SpaceX. I can still remember the blow-back after sending (and losing) the first teacher to space.

Space is still a dangerous place. Maybe money should not trump everything, including common sense. This seems more like a bored corporate executive spending $500,000 on a new fire truck, setting a few old buildings on fire, and then going in with an inexperienced crew to have fun putting out the blaze while claiming he is advancing the science of firefighting. I am not convinced.

Sidebar: The Artemis Mission

Posted on February 8, 2022April 1, 2022 by onespaceman2000

^{Source/Credit: Orion spacecraft from NASA.}

With all the previous posts about NASA’s Artemis mission, I should have outlined the three stages ahead as we return to the Moon:

Artemis I: This stage involves an uncrewed flight test around the Moon. The new Space Launch System carrying the empty Orion spacecraft will launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission will last from four to six weeks. The European Space Agency has supplied a key piece for this mission – a service module, which will supply the spacecraft’s main propulsion system and power (and also house air and water for astronauts on future missions).

Artemis II: This next stage will confirm all of the Orion spacecraft’s systems operate as designed with crew aboard in the actual environment of deep space as the spacecraft circles the Moon. The mission is expected to last just over 10 days

Artemis III: This third and final stage will land a crew on the surface of the Moon. NASA has awarded Human Landing System contracts to Blue Origin, Dynetics, and SpaceX. This final stage will be followed by annual crewed missions to the Moon.

The ultimate goal of Artemis is to establish a presence on the Moon as well as build an orbiting Gateway that can serve as a multi-purpose outpost providing essential support for long-term human return to the lunar surface. The Gateway will also serve as a staging points for deep space exploration, such as travel to Mars.

This is a broad and hopeful mission. The only thing that seems a bit odd is the website mission statement for Artemis:

With Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before. We will collaborate with commercial and international partners and establish the first long-term presence on the Moon. Then, we will use what we learn on and around the Moon to take the next giant leap: sending the first astronauts to Mars.

I think the first focus of this multi-billion dollar lunar mission should be space exploration, which should also include a diverse crew. Maybe it is better to stick to the more universal statement in the earlier Artemis Plan:

Under the Artemis program, humanity will explore regions of the Moon never visited before, uniting people around the unknown, the never seen, and the once impossible. We will return to the Moon robotically beginning next year, send astronauts to the surface within four years, and build a longterm presence on the Moon by the end of the decade…we will use the Moon as the stepping stone for our next greatest leap—human exploration of Mars.

You say potato and I say spuds.

^S^{ource/Credit: Artemis I mission map from NASA.}

Note: NASA’s Artemis page was somewhat out of date when I posted this summary. For instance, in April 2021, SpaceX was chosen to provide the lunar lander.

Update: On March 31st, NASA announced it was looking for “…other U.S. companies to provide new lander development and demonstration missions from lunar orbit to the surface of the Moon.”

Podcast: Interview with William Shatner

Posted on January 25, 2022March 30, 2022 by onespaceman2000

On this week’s StarTalk Radio podcast, Neil deGrasse Tyson interviewed William Shatner (aka Captain Kirk) about his acting career and recent trip into space on a Blue Origin rocket. If you saw the Amazon Prime show called Shatner in Space, you have seen the Blue Origin drama (or the infomercial, if you prefer). In his chat with Dr. Tyson, you learn more about this short voyage, including his reluctance to go on the second rocket trip rather than the first, his uneasy stomach once in space, and the travails of being the oldest “astronaut.”

It is always fun to hear from the man who helped to create a growing interest in space travel from his first days as Captain James T. Kirk on Star Trek back in the mid-1960s. We need both scientists and science fiction to keep the dream alive. And just as Neil deGrasse Tyson has stepped into the shoes of Carl Sagan on Cosmos, we have seen Patrick Stewart’s Captain Picard and others step into the shoes of Mr. Shatner on Star Trek. Hopefully, we can continue to create such spirited pairings in the years to come.