Soon enough private companies are going to find out what NASA did. We are trapped here on this planet. No one can go into deep space because of the radiation out there. All we can do is go into near earth orbit.
An article at Space.com forecasts an important year for private space companies in 2013. SpaceX is working on a new version of its Dragon capsule
that is quite different from the current model. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk
said that the first iteration looked similar to other space capsules
because the SpaceX team was learning as they went. Now, they're drawing
on the expertise they've gained to tailor the new capsule to their
needs. "Musk described Dragon version 2 as having 'legs that pop out'
and added that it uses parachutes and its eight SuperDraco thrusters for
a 'propulsive landing.'" The capsule will hold up to seven people, and
they hope to win a crew transportation contract for getting NASA
astronauts up to the ISS. The bidding for that contract starts in the
second half of 2013. Commercial space planes are also set to reach new
heights in 2013. XCOR Aerospace will be building its Lynx I rocket plane,
and a spokesman said, "we’ll be doing test fights throughout the year
from early 2013 and then go into commercial flights." Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo will also undergo its first rocket-powered flight this year.
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