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X-Prize Cup Site Chosen: New Mexico
savuporo writes "MSNBC reports: "The X Prize Foundation and the New Mexico Office of Space Commercialization are joining forces to stage the multifaceted X Prize Cup, a two-week-long event that allows for privately financed, passenger-carrying space vehicles to compete for prizes.' The first Cup is expected to be held summer, 2006, while 2005 will probably see a 'Public Spaceflight Exposition.'"
In order to launch you need an FAA license, which includes a safety review.
Bear in mind, the rules of the road were outlined in 'Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back', NOT Dogma.
Don't park drunk, accidents cause people.
The Orteig Prize awarded $25 000 to the sole man who flew non-stop on a single-engine aircraft 3635 miles from New York to Paris within a matter of hours (33.5 hours).
It's interesting how the model for this prize has evolved from modest air planes to surrealistic, yet impressively feasible spaceships.
> They are attempting to start their 'space business' by putting 20 or 30 people in space at a time, when they should really start out slow for safety's sake. What's going to happen if these companies rush to put massive numbers of people in space, forgetting about safety and we have another Challenger or Columbia, but this time with civilians, and more of them? The industry really needs to slow down, or else we are in for a terrible tragedy.
As far as I've seen so far, none of the X Prize contestants are planning on carrying anywhere near 20-30 people. Indeed, I believe the plan is to stick with one person at a time (or unmanned, in the case of Armadillo Aerospace), scaling up to the three required for the X Prize when they're confident in the hardware.
Teams competing for the X-Prize ARE starting out small. The spaceship required to win the competition only needs to carry 3 people. The competition can be won by a ship carrying only one pilot and ballast representing the other two passengers.
As far as I know, Scaled Composites is the only team carrying out manned tests of their vehicle so far. They're following a careful test program, slowly expanding their flight envelope, and are taking no unnecessary risks.
For another team's perspective, check Armadillo's website for a great log of all the testing and refining they've been doing while developing their rocket.
Bottom line: The teams with a shot at winning are not jumping into rocketry without careful attention to safety. No one wants to see fatalities or explosions of any kind - they're bad for business.
Moderated Funny? It's True! I live in Albuquerque.. There most certainly does exist that column and it is quite an entertaining read on occasion. It happens frequently even to me...
... they begin to say "Oh yes, you are in Arizona, right?"
;)
And.. When people *do* get the hint that I live in the Albuquerque
I find it profound just now many people actually do not recognize NM as a state of the union!
But, I think that is mostly due to alien abduction.. The Overlords make sure that this area is kept low-key..
Is not life a hundred times too short for us to bore ourselves? -Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche
It really is the only option, but reading the article it appears they are building a whole new facility in open land near WSMR, not on the range. I thought they would be allowed to use Northrop Strip where the shuttle landed. I guess security says keep everyone off base, considering the research going on there it makes sense. This still gives the competitors access to the reasearch people in the area and a large base of outside contractors and facilities. These are things available in few areas in that concentration. There has to be around 500 retired engineers from various space and weapons programs in the area.
Professional Politicians are not the solution, they ARE the problem.