Category Archives: Social Commentary

In Defense Of Daring

I respond to Jeffrey Kluger’s Branson bashing, over at The New Atlantis.

[Update a few minutes later]

Meghan McArdle says that of course space tourism will continue. The notion that a fatality in a flight test would destroy an industry is pretty stupid.

Also, nothing has changed in the past decade: Alex Tabarrok still doesn’t understand the difference between orbital and suborbital flight, or between flight test and operations.

Branson And Refunds

I’m sure that you’re as shocked as I am that Sir Richard’s statement on Saturday is at variance with reality. I think the technical business term for this is “fiasco.” And I’m angry that it has so tainted the industry, not to mention given the FAA an excuse to regulate, if they wish to.

[Update a couple minutes later]

The real problem is “bad business.”