OK, I don't mean to be an *** about this, but am I the only one having a hard time understanding the benefit to the espacetickets program?
ANSWER
I understand... the world has never seen such an innovative project and it does require an effort plus an open mind to learn something new. Unfortunately, many choose the easy way out and just throw stones.
The way I see it, Tony wants to sell 100 tickets to 4000 schools for $10 each. That's $4,000,000 in sales. The charitity keeps 60% I think. (2.4Mil, $600 each) He generates $1.6 million.
ANSWER
If 2000 schools sold 200 tickets each school would receive $1,200 profit and this would then produce the winner for the student and teacher in space. Or you could use the above analogy using the 4000 variable. There just has to be 4000 events (100 eSpaceTickets each) to produce the student and teacher to journey to space.
With this he "supports" (invests?) space tourism companies with 20% (320k). I also assume he is buying the prizes (value known, price 500K or less) He is also running the operations of the lottery($780K?) (Note to self, learn web design and get better people skills).
ANSWER
The winner then decides what flight they would like to take. eSpaceTickets is using the $250K base fee for the flight. Thus $500K for two seats. We are including $100K for expenses such as taxes on the prize and other expenses. Thus a total of $200K. So now $700K is allocated for the student and teacher in space program. eSpaceTickets has an affiliate program whereby top affiliates who help market the project receive a flight to space and other space tourism prizes such as a flight to the edge-of-space in a Russian MiG Foxhound. So now deduct $400K to support the affiliate program.
Tony, espacetickets was founded in 2000? How many people currently hold tickets to space from either espacetickets or espacelotto? How many astronauts under your belt?
ANSWER
eSpaceTickets was founded in April of the year 2000. Over the years we have been working on innovative solutions that would help ordinary people to journey to space. As a matter of fact eSpaceTickets is the leader and oldest organization on Planet Earth that has been doing such work. Tony has funded the entire project well over $500K. In the year 2003 we had our global opportunity to have funded millions of dollars into the space tourism industry via our International Space Tourism Lottery. This was in-conjunction with the European Broadcast Union in doing a space tourism reality TV show with expected viewership of 100M to 600M people world wide. There would of been no doubt that the project would of exceeded $1 Billion and $500 MILLION DOLLARS would of been allocated for prize money for flights to space. Then in Feb of 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia STS-107 never returned back to Planet Earth safely. We then lost our $20M seat on the Russian Soyuz to NASA and the sponsors and European TV stations pulled the plug.
I was not about to pull the plug and said we will just have to re-create a new community solution whereby it will be fair and square so ALL will have an equal opportunity to journey to space. There is one fact that I completely understand and that is LAW. I know what a lottery is and know what is legal and what is gray law. When I had to re-create a new solution I wanted this solution to be accepted by the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts and Churches and Non-profits that would like to do fundraising and especially for Schools and Universities. I have achieved this and it only took 6 years to do this. YET, there is no other space tourism program on Planet Earth that offers communities throughout America and into other UN member nations a chance for students and teachers to journey to space. If you look at my bio at the eSpaceTickets website you will notice that my work over the years has been to help cities, chambers of commerce, and more importantly schools.
Although I really am a optimist, it seems to me that this program is about selling the dream to space instead of an actual trip. I'm thinking this program might be several years premature.
ANSWER
Be honest with yourself and ask yourself this question. Is it better to have a reserved seat on a space flight or no reserved seat? Is it better to have a chance than no chance? When I was asked to be a guest speaker at the International Space Development Conference in Denver this question was presented. Please understand this fact. I began this work KNOWING that the private aerospace companies were severely under funded. YET, I rose to the occasion and accepted the mission knowing that it would take years to achieve the mission. Well... Mr. Paul Allan Co-Founder of Microsoft funded Scaled Composites to the tune of $20M and without such funding space tourism would STILL be a dream. But now SpaceShipOne is in Washington, D.C. at the Smithsonian. So what about the other aerospace companies that desperately need funding? Are we to turn our back and stick our tail between our legs and say... it is just a dream. I have news for the world... it is no longer a dream... that dream is now reality. Sir Richard Branson of Virgin Galactic knows this all to well and so do all of the multi-millionaires and celebrities that have paid in advance for their reserved seats on a flight to space.
Picture a nice fall day on the school's baseball diamond. The kids are having a great time with thier rockets. Then all the sudden, the principal gets on the PA and announce that Jimmy in the 5th grade was just chosen as the winner to go to space on the espacetickets website!
After the newspapers and tv crews leave, Jimmy's parent begin to think.....
Hmmm, I heard that Branson was a good guy. That flight should be fun. But wait, Jimmy wants to go orbital! Dad says, Star City sounds like a nice vacation. And heck, if it's good enough for the millionaires, it must be safe.
Then the ticket, waiver, and contract comes. Mom says, "Interorbital Systems is poised to begin the worlds first regularly scheduled orbital tourism space flights in late 2008. Special advanced promotional fare tickets for the initial orbital flights are now on sale......" then "They ever fly before? What happened to NASA?"
ANSWER
InterOrbital Systems will only fly paying passengers after all flight tests have been conducted. Naturally this applies for every space tourism aerospace company.
THIS IS THE LETTER FROM INTERORBITAL SYSTEMS
September 21, 2006
Tony Webb, Founder
eSpaceTickets.com
Dear Tony:
We are pleased to inform you that Interorbital Systems has guaranteed the availability of a promotional fare ticket, reserved for future purchase at the price of $250,000, for eSpaceTickets.com. The ticket will entitle the bearer to a week-long orbital expedition on the Neptune Orbital Spaceliner, at an as yet unspecified date. The purchase price is fully refundable two years after the crewmembers flight.
Best from Mojave!
Randa Milliron, CEO
Do you think that Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com (Blue Horizon) would allow a passenger to take a flight knowing that all systems were not a GO? The space tourism industry has matured whereby safety will be paramount. What ever happened to NASA? When Space Shuttle Challenger exploded the teacher in space project ended. NASA ended flying ordinary people into space. Do not look to NASA for a flight to space unless you want to join the NASA astronaut training program.
OK, maybe thats a liitle much for Jimmy. Lets have Dad look at the sub orbital. He reads, "Rocketplane Limited, Inc.is committed to making access to space as safe, convenient, and commonplace as commercial air travel. We will achieve these goals by designing and building state-of-the-art reusable spacecraft, providing unparalleled human training and spaceflight experiences, and transporting innovative scientific experiments and valuable payloads to sub-orbital space and beyond." "WOW! they actually have a rocket! Oh wait, thats a learjet." I wonder how long before the get to fly to space? Mom says "What about that Rutan guy? Can't Jimmy go with him?"
As Jimmy talks to Tony, "Thanks Mr. Webb for supporting the space people, but my Mom won't let me go..... can I have the quarter million instead for college?"
ANSWER
YES, eSpaceTickets will sell the ticket to the highest bidder less 10% and Jimmy can walk with the money and go to college and study aeronautical engineering.
In closing... if you turn your back to the future and ignore the very facts that private aerospace companies are working very hard to send ordinary people into space; then perhaps a reality check is needed. This forum should rise above the negative and through intelligence and wisdom chart our new course and help others to aspire to reach for the stars. Folks, space tourism is now reality.
We need your help in making World Space Week 2007 a great success in every community in the USA and all participating UN member nations.
Thank you,
Tony Webb
Founder
https://www.eSpaceTickets.com
To reach for the stars, you can not sit on your hands.
It is better to have a reserved seat than no seat at all.