Paul Allen Confirmed as SpaceShipOne's Sponsor

Shafe writes "Space.com confirmed suspicions that Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen was the secret investor in Burt Rutan's SpaceShipOne, which completed a successful supersonic flight on the same day as the centennial of flight. Allen hopes Rutan's ship will win the $10 million X-Prize to help kickstart private manned space flight."

Comments

Well that explains everything.

[mgs1000]

I guess he plans to blast the Trailblazers into space so they won't cause him anymore problems.

Thanks for providing a link

[Anonymous Coward]

I hadn't before heard of this Microsoft of which you speak.

Versioning

[MadFarmAnimalz]

Oh. Damn that's good to know. The Microsoft co-founder, eh?

If history is anything to go by, that contraption won't be worth a thing until SpaceShipThreePointOne is built.

Windows in Space

[manganese4]

Well if they use windows on the operatoring system for the Microsoft MicroShip, when it gets hacked as an SMTP relay, it will give new meaning to Chuck Yeager's phrase for the mercury astronauts "Spam in a can"

Alien Confirmed...

[SirChris]

I thought that it said Alien confirmed as sponsor. And that would have been good news.

if (SpaceShipOne)

[sahen]

that might explain why they used Visual Basic naming conventions.

Re:Don't forget Carmack

[Zog The Undeniable]

Whereas Paul Allen's spacecraft will have all kinds of gadgets you didn't think a spacecraft really needed (and won't really be safe to fly in until the first Service Pack), Carmack's craft will have guns. LOTS of guns.

MS Orbital Vehicle Assistant

[Odonian]

__
/ \
|O O|
|\_/| "Looks like you are trying to Break
| | The sound barrier!"
| | |
| | |
| \_/