NASA's Own X Prize?

Roger_Explosion writes "NASA has announced that its 2005 budget includes 20 million dollars allocated to what it calls 'Centennial Challenges.' These are described as 'a series of annual prizes for revolutionary, breakthrough accomplishments that advance exploration of the solar system and beyond and other NASA goals.' The article on the X Prize site seems to suggest that this was a collaborative effort between the X-Prize organisation and NASA. You can read the story on the X Prize site."

Comments

Nah Thankie U

[tetrahedrassface]

Faster, Better, Cheaper? Pick two and toss out one. We all know that low cost and space are desirable, the only problem is that low cost and government aint gonna happen. By its nature government views the spending as a positive. Hell, government will spend the saving on something else. Its all pointless. I say spend more for less is probably the best solution :)

Re:Finally

[Anonymous Coward]

Are any of the X-prize teams big evil giant corporations? The largest one is Scaled Composites, and even that's pretty small.

The Boeing/Microsoft SpaceCruiser XP is not even in development yet (cue someone posting a link to "if airlines were like operating systems").

So remember, big corporations are EVIL!!!, but small businesses are OK. Here's another example in the IT industry, to illustrate my point.

Dell:
Makes bad computers full of preloaded bad software, advertised by bad commercials. Known to operate call centres (AKA electronic sweatshops). Probably supports DRM.

Local computer stores:
Make better quality computers out of standardized parts, so upgrades are easy. Give decent jobs to students. Don't care about DRM.

See, small business is good, and Dell sucks.

Re:Here Come The...

[Scrameustache]

"Those 20 million should be spent on AIDS/Cancer research"

Monkeys are getting too expensive, lets launch people with AIDS or cancer in experimental vehicles! They are expendable, and renewable!

Furthermore, old people should be studied to determine wich nutrients they contain that might be extracted for our benefit...

That's it slashdot...

[SirDaShadow]

...post an article about the "X-Prize" right after I read about porn/X-rated movies...

bet the religious right won't like this... :-)

[Anonymous Coward]

Now this is weird...

"Pitch and roll will be the only flight control functions and a signal to abort the passenger may be added."

Re:bet the religious right won't like this... :-)

[drinkypoo]

From the pictures, it looks like they'll need a way to abort passengers. From what I can see after blowing up the in-flight cutaway, there's two couples making out, two people bending over in midair, and a pilot bent over trying to blow (him?)self. And, the whole thing looks like a vibrator. I mean, all rockets are phallic, but this one takes the pie.

Re:NASA

[uncoveror]

So, does this X-prize have anything to do with the X-4000 Launch Aparatus? Maybe it was designed by some kind of contest winner.

Re:NASA should contract the Navy

[eddiegee]

When the Navy gets a Seawolf attack sub into orbit THEN I'll be impressed!

Re:And do you know why that is?

[Anonymous Coward]

Jeeze dude... you need to practice smack-talk a bit more before you cut loose with your next tirade.

For example, instead of...

"FOR SHAME, slashdot, FOR SHAME"

...perhaps try something a bit more respectable such as...

"TASTE A PENIS, slashdot, YOU CUM GUZZLING TECHNOFUCKS"!

And instead of...

"I am a geek, but you all make me fucking SICK"

...you could whip out your big gun and slap it around with...

"Linus comes to me for answers, and he just called wanting to know what your fucking deal is?"

Further help is available on any Wesley Willis album ever made.

Re:Finally

[macshit]

The Boeing/Microsoft SpaceCruiser XP is not even in development yet

Lemme guess -- Boeing makes the mechanism for going up, and Microsoft makes the mechanism for going down...