Posted on 09/16/2014 8:22:21 AM PDT by RoosterRedux
The long-secretive space ambitions of Jeff Bezos, founder and chief executive of Amazon.com Inc., AMZN +0.10% suddenly are about to get a lot more public.
Blue Origin LLC, the space-exploration startup Mr. Bezos has been quietly toiling over for years, is part of a team led by Boeing Co. BA +0.05% that is expected to soon garner a NASA contract to ferry astronauts to and from the international space station, according to people familiar with the matter.
The role played in Boeing's bid by Washington-state based Blue Origin, which describes its goal as "developing technologies to enable private human access to space at dramatically lower cost and increased reliability," hasn't been disclosed previously.
Over the years, Blue Origin has sought to avoid publicity and disclosed only sketchy information about its work on advanced rocket engines, vertical takeoff and landing spacecraft and other cutting-edge space technologies. Some of the efforts prompted government interest and technical cooperation, but most were funded entirely by Blue Origin or its backers.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
So it’s a birthing room?
paywall ... how about the Cliff Notes?
Space X Dragon will be contracted by NASA to send humans to the ISS.
Amazon Prime members can get free shipping for all astronaut deliveries.
An old trick for getting beyond WSJ's subscription wall is to google the title and try a few links. One is usually the entire article for free.
Aren’t there several companies wanting that job?
They have some competition.
I would love to see the Dream Catcher completed soon enough to get a shot.
They have some competition.
I would love to see the Dream CHASER completed soon enough to get a shot.
lol
Space X has already delivered cargo. I think they have the inside track.
He’s in the running to be the real-life D.D. Harriman:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_Who_Sold_the_Moon
true, but I am glad to see some competition
Thanks for the tip.
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Re: “ferry astronauts to and from the international space station”
I think it’s time to reconsider our ongoing investment in the ISS (the space station, not the terrorist group).
As I recall, USA investment in the ISS exceeds $100 billion, and other countries have contributed billions more.
Yet, the research harvest has been almost completely confined to learning about how man can live and work in space.
That was worthwhile, but we have reached the point of diminishing return on investment.
In my opinion, it will be centuries - not decades - before safe, practical, routine, and economical human space flight is available to the Moon, Mars, and asteroids.
And, in my opinion, it will be many more centuries after that before man can reach the outer moons or leave this Solar System.
I want the NASA budget to stay the same, or, better, to increase.
But in 2014, in my opinion, the best science can be performed by robotic explorers and new space telescopes.
And, in my opinion, it is likely that technology “spin offs” will be exactly the same for human space exploration as it would be for robotic exploration.
Bezos’ Blue Origin will produce the boosters, Boeing will produce the crew capsules.
The team will be competing against Musk’s SpaceX.
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