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X-Prize Cup Site Chosen: New Mexico

Posted by timothy on from the mutton-stew-and-frybread-and-oxidizers dept.

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.'"

25 of 144 comments (clear)

  1. Golly by z0ink · · Score: 5, Funny

    I wonder how many UFO chasers will come out of the woodwork when some metal falls from the sky.

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    Steal This Sig
  2. Cool by use_compress · · Score: 4, Funny

    3rd tier US private industry is catching up to the Chinese government!

  3. Wrong Name! by Pavan_Gupta · · Score: 4, Funny

    Whoa, let's make sure we use the name, "Ansari X-Prize" Hell, if I'd paid my way into that name, I'd be damned annoyed if my name wasn't mentioned!

  4. X-Prize takes the lead by qaffle · · Score: 5, Funny
    Watch, X-Prize contestants are going to make it into space before NASA does again.

    And going up with the Russians doesn't count.

  5. Sheesh. Why not in the United States? by AtariAmarok · · Score: 4, Funny

    You'd hope they would host this in the United States instead of a foreign country!

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    Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
    1. Re:Sheesh. Why not in the United States? by SenorFluffyPants · · Score: 3, Interesting

      New Mexico Magazine has a regular feature called "One of Our Fifty is Missing". You would be amazed at how often it happens. The most frequent response from the clueless customer service rep is: "Wow, you speak the language very well!"

  6. Only wimps use LOX by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    They should merge this with the various human-powered vehicile competitions held on desert flats and roads from Nevada to New Mexico. I for one want to see a human-powered space vehicle.

  7. safety factors? by complete+loony · · Score: 5, Insightful
    "We expect to draw hundreds of thousands of people from around the world to a single Spaceport".

    Um, ok. and they'll all stand nearby while high powered rockets, designed and built by just about anybody, take off and land... mmmmm that sounds safe.

    I hope the viewing area is as far away as during shuttle launches.

    Seriously, should we be considering something like this yet? with passengers and spectators?

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    09F91102 no, 455FE104 nope, F190A1E8 uh-uh, 7A5F8A09 that's not it, C87294CE no. Ah! 452F6E403CDF10714E41DFAA257D313F.
    1. Re:safety factors? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

      In order to launch you need an FAA license, which includes a safety review.

  8. Whoa, slow down there... by hjf · · Score: 3, Funny

    Whoa, slow down there, maestro. There's a *New* Mexico?

    1. Re:Whoa, slow down there... by jjeffries · · Score: 5, Funny

      It's a marketing gimmick. They're going to wait for the public outcry then bring it back as "Mexico Classic."

  9. makes sense by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Makes sense, considering that Goddard was launching sophisticated liquid-fueled rockets outside of Roswell prior to World War 2, and of course, White Sands Missile Range is also in New Mexico. Also, New Mexico is (imho) the most beautiful state in the United States, but also one of the poorest. It needs a boost like this.

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    SKYKING, SKYKING, DO NOT ANSWER

  10. A Wretched Hive of Scum and Villainy by Silvrmane · · Score: 5, Funny

    And Santa Fe kinda looks like Mos Eisley as you are driving into it in your Land Speeder. Perfect place for a space port. :)

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    planet texture maps and more
  11. Subscriptions? by AtariAmarok · · Score: 4, Funny
    "New Mexico Magazine"

    Do they mail that to the United States? Sounds interesting.

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    Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
  12. We're the new haven for aero work by Lobo_Louie · · Score: 3, Interesting
    First we attracted Eclipse Aviation (we're developing the leading 5 place microjet for ~$1M) to Albuquerque.

    This past January the Aviation Technology Group announced they'd base the manufacturing plant for their Javelin (think $5M F18) here as well.

    Now the Xprize? Cool. We'll take it!

  13. Interesting Prize Categories by FleaPlus · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The article listed the following prize categories:
    1. Fastest turn-around time
    2. Maximum number of passengers carried in one flight
    3. Total number of passengers carried during the entire X Prize Cup event
    4. Maximum altitude attained
    5. Fastest flight time from take-off to landing

    Overall I think this is an excellent idea, but some of the prize categories seem to be... interesting choices. Take for example number 2, "Maximum number of passengers carried in one flight." I instantly have a mental image of dozens of people being packed like sardines into a spacecraft, and the horrible tragedy and PR fiasco which would occur if something went wrong. Having a category like that really doesn't seem like a hot idea.

    There's also number 5, "Fastest flight time from take-off to landing." Is this really that interesting a problem? I can't see any connection to potential commercial applications. It seems like it would be more a measure of how much acceleration the human occupants could tolerate than anything else.

    1. Re:Interesting Prize Categories by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      This may relate in someway to how Airline Carriers are rated. Faster turn around time means your aircraft is in flight more, which means it's more efficiently utilized (which makes more $$$). For example, Southwest has the fastest turn around time in the industry (20 minutes): [http://mba.tuck.dartmouth.edu/pdf/2002-2-0012.pdf ]

  14. 100 kilometres up is not orbital! by Goonie · · Score: 4, Insightful

    While building an X-Prize class of vehicle is an impressive achievement, it's a long, long way from putting somebody into orbit and retrieving them again. You require a hell of a lot more thrust to put somebody into orbit, the heat shielding requirements for the way down are much tougher, and you've got to be able to maintain life support for at least several hours rather than a few minutes.

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    Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a rigged demo
    --Andy Finkel (J. Klass?)
  15. The Only Problem... by PeaceTank · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I myself am a space enthusiast. Personally, I have no problem with the private sector wanting in on space flight, and in fact, I think it would be good for the troubled American economy. The only thing is these companies have no practical experience with putting humans into space, and they seem to be jumping in head first rather than 'testing the waters' so to speak. Remember, NASA has had more than 40 years experience putting humans into space, and they by no means just dove right in. I don't know fully about the tests being conducted with these spacecraft, but from what I can gather these companies are in over their heads. 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.

    1. Re:The Only Problem... by FleaPlus · · Score: 4, Informative

      > 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.

    2. Re:The Only Problem... by Fan+of+Damocles · · Score: 5, Informative

      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.

  16. What an Honor! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    To the Governor of New Mexico:

    Dear Sir or Madam,

    Congratulations! New Mexico has been determined to be sufficiently desolate and barren enough that the possibility of launchpad explosions and space debris raining from the sky pose little or no threat to the general population of your great state. Therefore, we are pleased to annouce that we are awarding the X-Prize Competition Site to New Mexico. We also looked at a small, uninhabited atoll in the Pacific Ocean but we found that it would be cost-prohibitive to provide portable toilets at that location on such short notice.

    Yours,

    The X-Prize Competition Site Selection Committee

  17. Think of teh terrorists! by blincoln · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Can everybody in the US please get over the need to relate everything in the entire world to terrorism?

    There was one attack, 2.5 years ago. It was a horrible thing, but if someone wants to do something like it again there are uncountable ways that are easier than getting their hands on an as-yet-nonexistent private orbital craft and a weapon capable of surviving re-entry.

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    "...always new atoms but always doing the same dance, remembering what the dance was yesterday." -Richard Feynman
    1. Re:Think of teh terrorists! by ArsSineArtificio · · Score: 3, Insightful
      There was one attack, 2.5 years ago.

      Some Australians and Turks take a different view.

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      All employees must wash hands before seeking equitable relief.
  18. Only option? by Natchswing · · Score: 3, Interesting
    They say that Florida was the other alternative. Being someone who builds and launches payload with NASA on a regular basis White Sands is really the only launch option for a recovered vehicle. A row of launch facilities built and ready and a large area already isolated from civilization for recovery (or cratering). I know for our recoverable payload that White Sands is really one of our only choices in the U.S.

    On top of that I live in Florida. The cape is really a turn-key operation and isn't setup to easily handle new payloads and rockets. Florida also doesn't have any large barren areas, it's either trees or swamps.

    I don't think anything but White Sands was ever really an option, although playing that Florida might be an option might be a good bargaining chip to ratchet up the price that NM pays.

    I wonder if I can schedule my next launch to coincide with this.