[FPSPACE] FW: More on Mojave Desert explosion that killed 3 (fwd)

[Heinz Janssen]

OK, if we can get past the problems with people posting or copying news stories from other sources, we can get down to discussing this terrible accident.

So, let's take a poll. Will the fatal explosion at Scaled Composites yesterday...

(a) ...mean the end of Virgin Galactic and suborbital space tourism in general?
I don't think so, but don't also know the financial site. It is a big backthrow of cause.

(b) ...be a severe setback, pushing the test program back by at least a year?
Logical, or?

(c) ...draw closer government scrutiny and regulation to private space efforts that have thus far sneaked by under the radar, and thus cause investment funds to dry up?
No idea

(d) ...be a "bump in the road" that has no permanent affect on NewSpace?
With three dead people and many injured?

(e) ...cause Northrup-Grummun to abandon its bid to acquire Scaled Composites and cost Burt Rutan a megabuck "golden parachute"?
We should know, what Rutan wants and how many Dollars he will spent.

(f) ...remind everyone yet again that there is no such thing as a "safe rocket?" 
Yes and no. Yes for today and a few weeks but not for a long term. See the disasters of human space flights in the past. Not from the sight of the FPSpacers including me, but the disasters are so far gone (even Columbia). And, from the site of the German public. Today in the news there were drunken astronauts and the cutted cable but not the fatal explosion.

At least - we know what governments can do. If it is in interests of the Bush-Administration, maybee it will be tryed
to bring Rutan out of race and to strengthen NASA. But that always random thoughts from far away.