Mon, Dec 15, 2003
You Ain't Seen Nuthin' Yet
As the world gears up to celebrate the first century of powered
flight, you might be wondering what the second century will look
like. In a word: Challenging.
"Aeronautics is not mature. We barely take advantage of it in
our daily lives," says Mark Moore, one of NASA's top thinkers on
future flight. "We haven't achieved the Wright brothers'
dream."
Achieving that dream could mean air passengers will become space
passengers, whether the outer realm becomes a destination or is
simply part of the journey to another part of the world. X-Prize
founder Peter Diamandis says space as a destination is certainly
achievable in our lifetimes. "We're on the verge of what you might
call the golden age of space flight, where it will be possible for
the general public to fly into space on a routine basis," he
said.
And he says it will be a most profitable industry. "There's a
market for thousands of launches a year," said Diamandis, who
foresees a private colony on the moon by 2025. "I believe the first
trillionaires will be made in space."
While the commercial aviation industry studies bigger-is-better
solutions like the Airbus A380, GA aircraft will become smaller,
lighter and more computer-driven. NASA's Langley Research Center in
Hampton (VA) projects general aviation aircraft will become the
cars of the future (where have we heard that before?). "The whole
core of this is to make it so this is not just for the macho, elite
rich," says Moore. "Normal people can use this for normal,
on-demand travel."
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