Talk Private Space Exploration with XCOR's Doug Jones: Livestream Today at 3pm ET/12 noon PT

If you've ever dreamed of soaring to the stars, liftoff may be coming sooner than you think. Just ask XCOR's Chief Test Engineer Doug Jones, who has designed a commercial suborbital spaceship that can fly up to four times a day, six days a week - sort of like an airplane. And for the low, low price of $95,000, you too can have a ticket to ride. 

Come back to Reason's Hit & Run blog today at 3pm ET/12 noon PT for a livestream conversation with Jones and Reason's Brian Doherty.

If you've got a question to ask this real-life rocketman, send it to us on Facebook, leave it in the chat box below, or send it to #reasonlive on Twitter.

We'll be streaming via our channel on UStream if you'd rather watch there.

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

Uhura was raped in that episode.

[Drake]

She was wearing a miniskirt.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Well, now that that still shot from "The Gamesters of Triskelion" is no longer up there, you look like a fool.

[Auric Demonocles]

Can I get a discount if it's a only a one way trip?

*eyes Epi suspiciously*

[Pro Libertate]

You know, if I wanted to buy one of these one-way tickets for a "friend," would it be cheaper if they didn't worry about safety or the viability of the passenger? I mean, I'm not rich and can't afford such fancy things.

[Auric Demonocles]

They don't really need a seat. Can we just remove it and deduct the cost of the saved fuel?

[Auric Demonocles]

Also, Pro Lib, should we find a way to sabotage this guy to help our space elevator investment, or should we just assume that we'll blow them out of the water by superior product?

[Pro Libertate]

Why not both?

[Auric Demonocles]

Also we should come up with a question to ask Jones. QUICK!

[Auric Demonocles]

NOOOO, we missed it. I should have asked what he thought space-hat fashion would entail.

[Pro Libertate]

Purple hair, of course.

[Auric Demonocles]

That doesn't sound very cunning.

[Pro Libertate]

Are you familiar with U.F.O.?

[Auric Demonocles]

It is from 1970. You know I'm not.

Also, we aren't currently working on U.F.O.: TNG.

[Pro Libertate]

No, that's next year.

You don't have to watch it, but you should familiarize yourself with some images. It's really got a great look.

Along those lines, one of my favorite spaceships ever was Space: 1999's Eagle.

[Auric Demonocles]

Are you trying to tell me you lived in Britain in the 70's?

[Pro Libertate]

Believe it or not, some of those programs ran in the U.S. On one of the six stations we were permitted to watch during the Nixonian Hegemony.

[Tonio]

Space 1999 and UFO were from the same producers and possibly (IDK) in the same continuum. They used a lot of the same models.

[robc]

Im unfamiliar with UFO, but was a fan of Space 1999*.

*I was young and didnt know any better

[robc]

From wikipedia:

In one judicially infamous reference, United States Seventh Circuit Judge Frank Easterbrook stated in Williams v. Boles, "Many things--beating with a rubber truncheon, water torture, electric shock, incessant noise, reruns of 'Space 1999'--may cause agony as they occur yet leave no enduring injury."

[Pro Libertate]

It looked cool, even if the stories were bizarre.

[JW]

Both were Gerry Anderson productions. Different continuum, though. Same with Thunderbirds.

[Pro Libertate]

Wait, what if we used the "passenger" as fuel? You're our rocket guy, is that feasible? Fuel can be made from water by separating out the hydrogen, right?

[Auric Demonocles]

That might be harder to sell to the passenger.

[Pro Libertate]

I, um, have a particular passenger in mind.

[Episiarch]

JJ Abrams?

[Pro Libertate]

Yeah, um, him, too.

[Auric Demonocles]

But getting him on a one way trip is easier if you tell him he's getting in the ship to go to space (and just neglect that he isn't coming back). Getting him into the engine will require a bit more force.

[Pro Libertate]

You know, maybe a one-way trip isn't such a bad idea. I could see the "passenger" being set up to comment here, and we could read the "passenger's" comments as the "passenger" slowly died. For science.

[Auric Demonocles]

Whoa, don't go jumping the gun here. We don't want to could our experiment by preconceived notions. We don't know what will happen to the passenger left in space. That's what we are testing.

[Pro Libertate]

We could revise Orion and see just what truly high acceleration does to living human flesh.

[Auric Demonocles]

Has anyone actually proved that human beings can't withstand 100g acceleration?

[Brett L]

We're paying his fare.

[Pro Libertate]

Good point. We don't believe in something for nothing, right? So slowly killing him is completely libertarian. Right?

[Brett L]

slowly killing him is completely libertarian. Right?

As long as there's a chance he could survive, we're not knowingly killing him. Totally libertarian.

[Pro Libertate]

Kind of like Schr?dinger's Episiarch. I mean, cat.

[Pro Libertate]

If any Hit & Run editors or systems guys or whatever are hanging around, commenter Irish would like you to edit this comment to include a reference to pizza. He says so in that thread. If you could do that, that would be great, thanks.

[Auric Demonocles]

EDIT BUTTON!

[Pro Libertate]

Well, in lieu of that, we can ask politely. They all hate Episiarch, anyway, so I don't see why they wouldn't do us this small favor. I've been commenting here since the telegraph days and you since you were born, so I think we've earned this tiny request. And who knows what we might do in return?

[Tim]

-.. --- ..- -.-. .... .

[Auric Demonocles]

I had a bit of a crisis when I recently considered how much of my life I have been commenting here.

I suppose we could agree to actually click on some of the ads or something.

[Episiarch]

Don't be a fool, ProL. Well, not more than normal. H&R does not edit posts. They remove them. Be careful what you wish for. Next thing you know, Irish's comments will no longer exist. Kind of like your mom's chastity.

[Pro Libertate]

Your powers are weak, old man.

In the HBO reboot of Star Wars in twenty years, where the original film is season one of a series, Kenobi responds to this with, "At least my dick wasn't burned off, Annie. That's your name, right, Annie? That's a chick name, you know."

[Pro Libertate]

I do like the possibility of an existential crisis for you if they do, in fact, edit his comment.

[Irish]

They should provide an edit button for everyone other than Epi.

[Auric Demonocles]

This is something we can all get behind.

[Episiarch]

That would be fine. I don't need an edit button. Only amateurs like you need an edit button.

Post it, I'll be in my three story trailer.

[Pro Libertate]

Quadruple-wide!

[Auric Demonocles]

Good enough. Splice in some reaction post of me and shove it on the net.

[Tim]

Where's the links?

[WomSom]

Dude makes a ll kinds of crazy sense man.

http://www.Prox-Anon.tk

[WomSom]

Dude seesm to be talking a WHOLE lotta smack over there.

http://www.Prox-Anon.tk

[TheZeitgeist]

Ah, Rotary Rocket - Hudson's last gasp as it were. I wish the interviewer would have asked Xcor guy what he thought of that vehicle, if he thought it really could work.

I remember the Rotary Rocket machine, and how neat of a concept it seemed, but it's SSTO configuration with kerosene left ~5% empty mass fraction and I personally doubted whether they could make that weight. Obviously its a moot point now, but it would have been fun to hear some tech-side from somebody who worked on that vehicle.