X-Prize Overview: To The Edge Of Space, Cheap

_randy_64 writes "The X-Prize competition has gotten a lot of coverage on Slashdot - either because it's cool and geeky or because John Carmack is involved. The Baltimore Sun has a decent background/overview article on the contest in Sunday's edition."

Comments

Correction to Parent: Hubble Space Telescope Costs

[jstockdale]

Well although the parent is quick to point out the $200m cost of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in comparison to the $400m shuttle launch cost thats just plain incorrect.

The correct figures are as follows (taken from http://hubble.nasa.gov/faq.html + NASA STS-82 docs):

Initial Cost: $1.5 Billion
Yearly Cost: $230-250 Million
STS-82 Repair:
Parts: $387 Million
Flight: $430 Million

So if we tally the costs over the first 15 years of operation (up to say ~2000) we come to: $5.3 Billion

Re:24 Competitors, eh?

[WegianWarrior]

There is a full list of the teams at the x-price website. From the PDF file found there it appers that most of the "serious" contenders are based in either North America or Europe, but then the majority of the teams are from there anywhere (could be many reasons for that). A notable exception which I - with my reasonsable limited knowhow of building and launching manned rockets - believe might create a viable launchvehicle, is the Gauchito (The Little Cowboy) from Argentina.

Mind you, there are a few of the contestants who are rather barmy, and since most of the entries are from the western world, most of the oddballs are from there as well. Check out Micro Space, a somewhat redneck, risky way to get suborbital (more info at their own site, including info on how they plan on using scuba-gear to survive in the rarified atmosphere up there).