SpaceShipOne To Launch Again Monday

2 Oct, 2004 at 12:58am ET Article published in Tech

Organizers of the Ansari X Prize announced Friday that SpaceShipOne will launch as planned on Oct. 4 to seal its victory for the competition’s $10 million award.

The second voyage of Paul Allen’s Mojave Aerospace Venture spacecraft on Monday will attempt once again to crack the Earth-space barrier of 100km in altitude. The craft broke the 100km mark on Wednesday, completing the first step in winning the prize. The Ansari X Prize was started in 1996 to stimulate privatized commercial space tourism. It will award $10 million to the first team that can propel a spacecraft to 100km, land it and repeat the feat within two weeks.

Good luck to all involved. -KF

Source: ZDNet

Comments

2 Oct 2004 ~ 1:42am Camman Dunno if this was posted somewhere else but Virgin Transportation is planning to license technology from Mojave Aerospace Ventures to build their new "Virgin Galactic" fleet

http://www.virgingalactic.com/

Commercial development of space craft.....as cheesy as it may seem to have a company called "Virgin Galactic", the prospect of it really excites me, it makes me feel like I'm going to be around for the dawn of a new era, pretty exciting stuff, time will tell I suppose, but it seems like its going to be very exciting times ahead
2 Oct 2004 ~ 2:58pm RWB That logo for Virgin Galactic is the exact same a Virgin Records or Virgin Cellular....
http://www.virginmobileusa.com/
2 Oct 2004 ~ 3:44pm primesuspect Virgin Galactic is no joke. This IS the dawn of a new era, make no mistake about it. Even if SpaceShipOne fails next week, even if Virgin Galactic doesn't pan out, it matters not. Humans have the bug. Now that we know it's possible, there is no limit.
2 Oct 2004 ~ 4:15pm RWB

primesuspect wrote:

Virgin Galactic is no joke. This IS the dawn of a new era, make no mistake about it. Even if SpaceShipOne fails next week, even if Virgin Galactic doesn't pan out, it matters not. Humans have the bug. Now that we know it's possible, there is no limit.

That's a given, I've always knew this would happen in my life, but I didn't know when. However, now I must know when we will meet new alien life.... without any of that probing.
3 Oct 2004 ~ 6:23pm Sputnik about the virgin galactic, its the same company.... conglomerate really. virgin records, virgin atlantic airlines, virgin mobile, virgin hotels (aperently)

www.virgin.com, take a look
3 Oct 2004 ~ 9:28pm KingFish I agree with you for the most part prime but then again, the first commercial spaceship to blow up will be a significant setback for the commercial/tourist space sector (is it big enough to be its own sector now?). You can bet the news coverage from a spaceship blowing up causing loss of human life will be significant and will, at least in the short term, shape perception about commercial space travel. It is, unfortunately, the cost of progress and hopefully most will see it that way. I just hope a scandal doesn't ensue with the first commercial space disaster and it is because of a lack of knowledge or honest mistake rather than fueled by greed or someone's own agenda.

KingFish
3 Oct 2004 ~ 10:18pm RWB As long as many understand that planes and cars wreck too, I think it'll be fine. Plus you have bastages like me who would be willing to somehow find the money by selling myself, or parts of myself to go there someday
4 Oct 2004 ~ 1:40am Camman

RWB wrote:

That logo for Virgin Galactic is the exact same a Virgin Records or Virgin Cellular....
http://www.virginmobileusa.com/

Yeah.....that's why they have the money to fund something like that because the guy who is starting it owns Virgin Atlantic Airlines/Virgin Mobile/Virgin Records, etc, etc...

http://www.canada.com/vancouver/theprovince/news/travel/story.html?id=916066c0-ada5-442c-b994-e32961c111cb
4 Oct 2004 ~ 9:07am primesuspect KingFish:

There was also a first automobile crash and a first plane crash. Hell, the titanic sunk. Sure, it will be a short setback, but the human urge to explore frontiers is ingrained into us. It won't be held back by the possibility of death.
4 Oct 2004 ~ 12:01pm Garg [ontopic]

SpaceShip One has won the X-Prize.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/space/10/04/spaceshipone.attempt.cnn/index.html

[/ontopic]
4 Oct 2004 ~ 12:13pm primesuspect totally freaking cool.
4 Oct 2004 ~ 2:24pm bothered Just read about it on CNN, brilliant! Nitrous oxide and rubber? Far out space doods.
4 Oct 2004 ~ 4:37pm KingFish Congrats!

KF