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Become the Fifth Space Tourist

Posted by kdawson on from the getting-high dept.

MattSparkes writes "There have been four space tourists so far. You could become the fifth — even if you aren't a dot-com millionaire. New Scientist is running a competition to send one person on a sub-orbital flight, 62 miles above the Earth. All you have to do is write 250 words on what the best ever patented invention is. Personally I think it has to be the Levitationarium." Of course if you win you'll probably have to pay the taxes.

4 of 119 comments (clear)

  1. Easy by Soporific · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The best invention is probably modern plumbing. Before that disease was much more rampant. Not only that, it gave everyone a throne of their own to feel like a king on!

    ~S

  2. The Wheel by Toutatis · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It's one of the best inventions of mankind and it was actually patented.

  3. Gah! by Reality+Master+101 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I hate marketing. Suborbital is NOT SPACE TOURISM! The other four space tourists entered orbit -- a controlled entry into space, and stayed there. A suborbital trip is a rocket ride. Fun, yes, but not space travel.

    --
    Sometimes it's best to just let stupid people be stupid.
  4. Re:They're asking for patented ones... by xoyoyo · · Score: 4, Insightful

    There are, especially as:

    Thomas Savery invented the Steam Engine, Joseph Swan invented the light bulb and Edison only invented half the phonograph, the french having figured out the recording part.

    Perhaps a more useful 250 word essay would be on how the patent system enshrines the myth of the individual genius, when in fact technology moves forwards by little increments.