Gawker: valleywag, space travel

La petite mort for man, a giant hump for mankind

Jackson West — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 19:20:00 EDT

Playboy capitalist Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic will take your $200,000 to book a brief trip to space. But when offered $1 million cash upfront to let an unnamed pornographer film some zero-gravity, superatmospheric nookie with the futurist-fetish SpaceShipTwo cabin as a backdrop, the space-tourism startup declined. Which leaves us here at Valleywag nothing to look forward to on the smut market once Hustler Video debuts the company's hardcore ode to Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin (Warning: Boobies and such). [Slashdot] (Photo by Getty/Daniel Berehulak)

Privateers rocket to space fifty years after communists

Jackson West — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 12:40:00 EDT

Sure, Leonid Brezhnev's particular flavor of state capitalism and political repression was no pleasure to live under. But consider this, free-market apologists: Those wily Soviets and their evil regulated markets out-innovated us in the space department to claim first-mover status. It wasn't for another fifty years that private capital finally caught up in the form of Elon Musk's SpaceX, on the company's fourth flight. And the rocket didn't even deploy a satellite — much less a satellite with a lovable monkey inside. [Wired]

China hits publish too soon on spacewalk launch story

Paul Boutin — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 19:20:00 EDT

The Shenzhou 7 mission will feature China's first spacewalk, so it's kind of a big deal. That's why reporters are snickering over state news agency Xinhua's accidental posting of a report that vividly describes the rocket in flight, complete with quotes from the three astronauts inside — "air pressure in the cabin is normal." The article, dated this coming Saturday, was live on Xinhua's website for several hours prior to the launch. (Photo by Reuters/Li Gang)

Cosmotourist sues when he doesn't get his cosplay spacewalk

Jackson West — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 08:00:00 EDT

Ever since he was a little boy, former Livedoor executive Daisuke Enomoto dreamed of going to space, but has ended up in court alleging fraud on the part of Space Adventures, the space tourism company which runs flights out of Star City, Russia. He was all set to realize his dream after paying $21 million for 10-days in space, including a spacewalk wearing the costume of his favorite Gundam character. But he got kicked off the rocket for X Prize founder Anousheh Ansari in 2006 after a spot medical check disqualified him. And that's where the fun begins.

Enomoto claims the checkup results were a convenient lie, and that Space Adventures had never had permission to offer the spacewalk but demanded another $10 million from him for the privelege anyway. He also alleges that Ansari basically bought her way ahead of him in line by making an "investment," which he was also pestered to do. Space Adventures's attorney John Villa says the company will not be offering a refund, and that's that. Sounds like a typical tourist package shakedown, frankly — wonder how much they'll take Ultima creator Richard Garriott and Google cofounder Sergey Brin for between now and liftoff?

Google thanks NASA for allowing them to use Moffett Field

Jackson West — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 13:20:00 EDT

It's the 50th anniversary of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, better known as NASA, and Google's rolled out a commemorative logo. The graphic features the Voyager spacecraft, Mars and moon landing vehicles and the Mercury rocket. Not featured? Any of the aircraft in Larry and Sergey's party-plane fleet, which are parked at NASA's Moffett Field and allowed to take off and land from the publicly owned facility increasingly known for private privilege.

Sergey Brin buys a $5 million deposit for a ticket to space

Nicholas Carlson — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 13:20:00 EDT

Virginia-based space tourism company Space Adventures typically pays the Russian government $20 million to $40 million to hold a seat on its Soyuz flights for its wealthy customers. But now, Space Adventures plans to fund an entire flight all for itself. Two tourists and a Russian commander will depart Earth on 2011 for a trip to the International Space Station. One of the tourists? Google cofounder Sergey Brin, who's invested $5 million in Space Adventures as a deposit on his ticket to the final frontier. Of the news, Brin said:

I am a big believer in the exploration and commercial development of the space frontier, and am looking forward to the possibility of going into space.

Actual Russian space program officials don't share the billionaire's enthusiasm. According to the New York Times, Vitaly Lopota, president of the company that makes Russia's spacecraft, said in April that he does favor space tourism and that Russia only allows it to make up for financial shortfalls. Anatoly Perminov, the head of Russia's space agency, said all space tourism could end in 2010. Sorry, Sergey! (Photo by Gaetan Lee)