Ax-1's all-civilian crew dock at International Space Station

[brooklynite]

Source: NBC News

The all-civilian Ax-1 mission crew docked at the International Space Station early Saturday morning, marking the first time private citizens visited the spacecraft.

...snip...

The Ax-1 crew is led by Michael López-Alegría, a retired NASA astronaut who now serves as the vice president of business development for Axiom Space. He's joined by three paying customers: American real estate investor Larry Connor, Canadian businessman Mark Pathy and Eytan Stibbe, a former fighter pilot from Israel. Connor, Pathy and Stibbe paid $55 million apiece for the experience, as The Associated Press reported this year.

While on the space station, they will participate in science experiments and philanthropic projects, including health-related research for the Mayo Clinic and the Montreal Children’s Hospital.

Axiom Space said the mission is a “precursor” to commercializing low-Earth orbit, and said it intends to fly at least three other commercial flights to the space station. It is also planning to construct its own privately-funded space station in orbit.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/ax-1s-civilian-crew-dock-international-space-station-rcna23722

[GB_RN]

1. Privatizing Space...

Axiom wants to build its own, private space station in a few years. Yeah, this is such a good idea. The thing about NASA, et al., is that it benefit everyone around the world with the science. Privatization isn't going to benefit anyone but company owners and shareholders.

Fuck that noise.

[EX500rider]

2. If the private stations do research that will benefit humanity also

Knowledge is knowledge and science advancements are science advancements no matter who does them.
Are you under the impression the government's don't keep things secret or patent things also?
NASA developed advancements were either secret or patented like everything else.

What's the point of only letting government's do space?

[GB_RN]

3. When Research Is Done By Public Agencies...

It's not sold for maximum profit.

When was the last time privatization of anything from the public domain benefited anything except the rich? Utilities, road construction, etc., services have all gotten worse and prices have all increased as have profits. You privatize stuff from the public sphere, the buyer gets it on the cheap, quality and service suffer and the public gets the shaft the whole way around.

I won't get started on billionaires getting taxpayer money to develop rockets, which they will use to get MORE taxpayer money from doing business with the government.

[EX500rider]

4. Still no point in keeping private enterprise out of space.

If they can do it cheaper and better then good.

[lonely bird]

5. No thanks.

Better? No. Cheaper? No, they are already screwing the public sector via contracts.

What advantage due to physics does a “private” company run for profit and what other undisclosed rationale gain by virtue of high potential energy? Space is the ultimate high ground.

We don’t need Elysium.

[EX500rider]

6. "Better? No. Cheaper? No"

SpaceX: reusable 1st stage- cost to orbit less than $2,500 per pound

NASA space shuttle: no reusable 1st stage- cost to orbit $8,200 per pound-2 complete loses with all crew

That sounds both better & cheaper to me.

[ripcord]

12. The work at NASA has always been done by private companies

NASA was just the contractor.

[GB_RN]

7. I've Worked In Both Public & Private Sector...

It's a myth that the private sector can do it cheaper and better than the government.

The private sector just gets away with hiding their fuckups and overruns better and more easily than the government.

[EX500rider]

8. And yet SpaceX has the cheapest costs to orbit. nt

[GB_RN]

9. And You Paid For Him To Develop It.

[EX500rider]

10. No I didn't.

Original research was private funded, they now do have government contracts because they do it cheaper then the original government-approved monopoly called the ULA (United Launch Alliance) which is composed of Lockheed Martin (Atlas 5 rockets) and Boeing (Delta 4). These two firms dominated U.S. space launches for over half a century and in 2006 they officially monopolized it before SpaceX came along.
SpaceX developed its own launch rockets without any government help. A ULA rocket launch that cost $420 million could be done by SpaceX for $90 million.

SpaceX
First privately funded fully liquid-fueled rocket to reach orbit
First privately developed liquid-fueled rocket to put a commercial satellite in orbit
First private company to successfully launch, orbit, and recover a spacecraft
First private company to send a spacecraft to the International Space Station
First landing of an orbital-class rocket's first stage on land
First landing of an orbital-class rocket's first stage on an ocean platform
First reuse, reflight and (second) landing of an orbital first stage
First controlled flyback and recovery of a payload fairing
First re-flight of a commercial cargo spacecraft
First private spacecraft launched into heliocentric orbit
First private company to send a human-rated spacecraft to orbit
First private company to autonomously dock a crew-capable spacecraft to the International Space Station
First private company to send humans into orbit

etc

[ripcord]

11. Hopefully all industry can evntually be moved into orbit

It is about the only way to save the planet.