Slashdot Mirror
X-Prize Cup/Olympics Planned
sckienle writes "Space.com has a quick article in their astronotes section about the X-Prize committee's idea of an X-Prize competition. Apparently they are thinking about having a 'X-Prize Cup' where 'teams would compete for cash prizes, attempting to set new records.' My favorite quote: 'The notion is to try and bring the money and excitement of NASCAR and Formula One racing into space.'"
I hope their not trying to bring the exact same type of excitement as NASCAR. Most of the people there are just waiting for a big crash to watch.
Devil Ducky
MY peers would get out of jury duty.
This reminds me of the air competitions in the 20's and 30's, normally funded by wealthy newspaper owners. Cash prize for the first to cross the Atlantic East to West, then in reverse. First to Hawaii, around the world, etc.
If not for some of those competitions, aviation would have progressed much slower than it did.
Driving a non-air-conditioned, 400HP car in a circle at 150 mph for a few hours just slightly faster than the other two dozen guys in identical cars, however, does require skill.
Do you tailgate (less drag, more heat)? How long and with who? Which line through the banked corners is optimal right now (it'll change as the track gets dirty and your tires heat up/wear, not to mention different amounts of traffic at different levels)? How many times will you stop for gas? Change tires? Do you need to adjust the suspension?