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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 think its ideas like this that the current space program needs to reawaken peoples interests in Space exploration, especially after the last few months and the negative attention it has recieved.
It's hard enough to remember my opinions, never mind the reasons for them..
As long as they bring the money.
I'd love to see a shuttle rocketting towards the stratosphere with "Viagra keeps our rocket up too" stenciled down the side of it!
I suppose beer companies sponsoring really fast driving is just as inane as a rocket...
I just hope that it draws the white trash chicks that are willing to show us their tits on the big screens.
There are some odd things afoot now, in the Villa Straylight.
For a brief moment I read that as crash prizes...
I am a big fan of science, and would be more than willing to shell out some cash to watch this sort of thing. My lack of interest for a lot of modern mechanical sports is the udder lack of distinction between any of the entries, two cars in nascar are more alike than your and my DNA. I really think these kinds of games, at least initially, will show some greated distinction, and innovation between competitors. I would also love to see a robot wars where they built things out of balsa wood, nothing actually breaks anymore.
paul reinheimer
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.
Ferrari spends nearly $300 million a year on it's F1 team ... I think the budgets are there if the technology was a little more sound.
if we make this like NASCAR, then all the rockets would only turn left.
I have something in common with Stephen Hawking...
so they basicly want to get a bunch of redneck retards to come out to an unshaded grand-stand, sit inthe sun for 10 hours and watch planes take off and land......
yeah, that sounds about as exciting as watching a group of cars drive in circles all day.
I am the Alpha and the Omega-3
French judges inexplicably vote for Russians despite their team's x-prize entry of three fat guys on a trampoline.
The most exciting thing in the article to me was the fact that there are "over a dozen spaceports now under development". Rock!
I know about OSIDA, the one in Oklahoma that Armadillo is planning on using. Anybody know where the others are?
--riney
Now taking bets on the Kessel run.
2-1 on the guy with the wookie.
With the latest Guiness craze (anyone willing to do the dumbest, most dangerous stuff to get their names in the book), I'm afraid to make space the next competition. Yeah, they put their lives in danger, which is no biggie by me... cleanse the gene pool...
But what happens when someone's custom-made SaturnV crashes into your house?
Good quote, too many chars. Seriously, the slashdot 120 char limit sucks!
Watching silly men go Vrmmm vrmmm vrmmm vrmmm until one hits the crowd and explodes?
The best part of Formula One is the girls who shake the champagne. Maybe we can just dispense with the loud noisy machines and just have girls opening large bottles of champagne. Playboy in Space? Gotta be cheaper and more fun.
Vrmmm vrmmm vrmmmm... Nope, just does not do it for me.
Ceci n'est pas une signature
It's all fun and games until a bunch of cadets tries to pull a Kolvord Starburst and one of 'em bites it. If only CleverNickName had told the truth from the start...it's all his fault!
(I fully expect to be karma-lynched for this)
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.
I'm putting my money on the Viagra sponsored rocket. I'm sure they can get it up faster than any other team ;)
Maybe you should educate the morons of tomorrow so they'll stop believing the leaders of tomorrow. - Dogbert
I don't think I totally agree with this. Part of the point of the X-Prize is finding the cheapest way to space, not necessarily the fastest way to space. Remember: good, cheap, fast, pick two. If we pick cheap and fast, we get deathtraps.
I'd much rather see the X-Prize lead to something good and cheap that takes 2 days to get to orbit than have some over-engineered phallic symbol dominating the space race for the next 50 years.
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?
Don't you see? This is all leading up to the landing of the first Mullet on the Moon©!
Where does the school board find them and why do they keep sending them to ME?
NASCAR strategy wouldn't work here, since nothing makes another vehicle's slipstream look less inviting than flames shooting out the back end.
This post is dedicated to all of those