I saw Erik!'s blog when I got on here for the first time in awhile, and I thought I would say something about the hyped "space travel" industry.
Currently, private spacecraft can only fly to about 70-80 miles altitude. To put this into perspective, the space shuttle flies at 150-200 miles altitude. In fact, a flight in one of the current private spaceships (of which Burt Rutan's Spaceship One is the only) would last only 15 minutes, four to five of which would be flown in "weightlessness". It is a fad for the super-rich since a seat on one of these things would cost thousands of dollars. Unless the private companies develop orbital systems, the industry is going to be only a fad, and it will go away in a relatively short time.
On another note, being home has its perks, although living with family can be agonizing, too.
Posted by ryan at May 22, 2006 01:13 PM