Burt Rutan: Who Is He And Why Should You Care?
Who is he?
Burt Rutan is the founder of Scaled Composites, and Aerospace Engineer who designed the new sub-orbital plane for Virgin Galactic, the first company to cheaply sell flights to space for only $200,000 (well, it's cheap in comparison to anyone else who was offering). Another big accomplishment of his was the Voyager aircraft, which was the first plane to fly around the world without stopping or refueling.
Why should you care?
Virgin Galactic will be the first American company to sell rides cheaply into space. For the first time in our history, YOU may be able to go to space! It is all because of visionaries like this who can make it happen. Virgin Galactic may be able to send over 100,000 regular people into space within the first 10 years of their first flight. Other companies are now popping up left and right to also send people into space. Imagine in one decade what could happen when regular people get to experience space!
This video is an interview he did with BigThink.com. Here are some of the questions he answers (also provided timestamp):
00:00:00 Where are we in the trajectory of space travel?
00:06:14 What do we know will come out of space travel?
00:10:04 Will most of the innovation in space tourism come from the private industry, or is there a role for NASA or the government to play in developing technology?
00:13:26 Was there ever a time when NASA had the sparks of creativity and innovation?
00:21:18 Can private companies like Scaled Composites fill the research gap (which NASA is not currently fulfilling)?
00:26:00 Who or what stands out right now as pushing the envelope in the field of transportation?
*In this question, he talks about how general aviation can successfully be a great alternative to major airliners.
00:34:09 Are there any innovations on the horizon that would help planes greatly reduce carbon emissions?
00:39:03 How have your previous aviation projects impacted the industry?
00:42:17 Is the X-Prize a useful tool to get people to innovate?
00:44:24 What are some of the challenges to crowd sourcing a groundbreaking idea?
00:49:12 What is the design philosophy that unites all of your aircraft?
00:52:26 What is your process for inspiration?
00:53:56 How important will aesthetics be in the future of mobility?
00:56:08 How do we change the fact that so many scientists in academia and industry get away with concealing their research?
What do you think? Make sure to leave a comment! =)
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duh