A Tourism Spacecraft Breaks Earth's Atmosphere

[cardude2004]

Today a spacecraft from a private company made it through the atmosphere. The US has had this prize for quite awhile. If a company can create a craft that will go into space and stay up for like 20 minutes and then come back down the company would get USD $10 million. This was to encourage tourism of space by the "normal" man. A company finally achieved this goal.

http://www.canada.com/news/world/story.html?id=c1a73446-fef0-466f-9dd3-0f5ec7aa247e

http://news.google.com/news?q=x%20prize&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wn

 

[ExigeEvan]

I heard about this. Richard Branson (Virgin cola, atlantic, trains etc Tycoon) is said to be interested in buying a fleet of the aircraft so as to start the first space tourism company. £100,000 anyone?

 

[Anderton Prime]

Oficially, the company had to produce a craft that could exit Earth's atmosphere carrying 3 passengers (or the equivalent weight) and return to Earth's surface with a safe landing. To win the prize of USD$10 million, they had to complete two successful flights within 14 days, and surprise, the US won.

 

[Famine]

The "X Prize", a $10 million pot to the first non-government funded craft which can carry 3 people - or equivalent weight - to a height in excess of 62.5 miles above sea level and return safely to Earth twice inside two weeks.

Pity that it cost $25 million to develop, really....

Edit: Oh no! Treed. Still, kind of spooky that we chose to share exactly the same information...

 

[cardude2004]

Sorry. I was a little wrong. I was going off what I had heard before, without reading the whole article. I now know what the specifications really were. I have heard about this reward off and on for the past few years.

 

[ExigeEvan]

Wasn't the craft weighted so that it would simulate 3 people?

they had to complete two successful flights within 14 days, and surprise, the US won.

Well who did you think would win? The Russians? The Chinese? China has the money, but not the technology. And vica versa for Russia. Britain would need half of Europe to cash in and would still double the original costs.

And Famine I think part of the funding came from one of the Microsoft executives/co-founders? Either way, not short of money.

 

[cardude2004]

Yeah, it was partially funded by Microsoft Co-Founder Paul G. Allen.