That flight last week looked very dangerous. I wasn't even sure the pilot was going to pull out of that spin. They are a long way from taking tourists into space. I agree with Chuck. Debbie

[Original Message] From: Chuck Hards <chuckhards@yahoo.com> To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Date: 10/9/2004 11:56:59 AM Subject: RE: [Utah-astronomy] Re: Spaceship One hype s

Some of the folks I know in the "industry" (admittedly far fewer than Patrick) feel that the number of weatlthy tourists & enthusiasts paying "big bucks" will not last that long and dry up rather quickly, (especially after the first accident that kills someone, which WILL happen, unfortunately) so the tourism thing is definitely not an industry sustainer for long. A huge infrastructure will be needed, and tickets priced closer to commercial airline rates will be needed for that, and a more cost-effective alternative to chemical rockets will be needed for that. Distant-future scenario. For now Patrick will still have to sell his house for his ticket.

The "shaking in their boots" quote was taken from a story on the AOL home page I subscribe to, and although I can't recall exactly, it was either Rutan himself or a member of his staff that said it, possibly one of the pilots. I did notice that Rutan said he needed to focus his "talents" in a certain direction...so apparently he agrees with our opinion of him. What a guy.

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