Armadillo Aerospace Takes Level 1 Lunar Lander Prize

jedibfa writes "Las Cruces International Airport came alive with applause and cheers yesterday afternoon as John Carmack's Armadillo Aerospace took the first place prize for the Level 1 challenge of the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge, winning $350,000 and bragging rights. Adding to the excitement of the day, shortly before completing their second qualifying flight, Armadillo Aerospace and The Rocket Racing League announced a joint program to develop a sub-orbital tourist vehicle that will fly out of the New Mexico-based Spaceport America and cost less than $100,000 per ticket. On Sunday, the team will have three opportunities to go for the Level 2 challenge that more closely approximates the required performance for a real lunar landing. Good luck, Armadillo Aerospace, both on Sunday and in your new endeavor!" We discussed preparations for the challenge last week. Several other readers have contributed additional coverage, including the Space Fellowship's live blog of the event, the website for Truezer0, another team participating in the challenge, and a VentureBeat article discussing the economic downturn in space exploration, and how the X-prize competitions figure in. Today's Level 2 challenge will be covered live via webcast.

Comments

Wow, can't wait to spend life savings throwing up.

[eyenot]

I'm glad that the ticket prices are projected to only reach the nearly $100,000 level. If it had been $125,000 or so I would have had to just go out and die on the spot, because, gee, the extra 25,000 I wouldn't have been able to just, you know dig out of pocket change or turn in returnable containers to make up the difference. Yes I and my as-yet-nonexistant family are all very happy under the new Spacefaring People's Attention-Craving System. *Secret Tear I Can Barely Hide*. I and my progeny will work very hard to qualify for our reproductive samples to be preserved on the International Space Station and *weep* we all love very much the possibility that what we'll *realistically* be able to scrape together in our entire lifetime will be able to at least buy a ride for the ashes of me, the First Progenitor of our meager slave heritage, way up into the stars. We all love and adore our symbolic ruler The Solid Fuel Packet and we strive hard every day to meet the merits of the projected Psychohistorical Model. Praise Robot, We Love Hard Labor And Looking Up To Impossible Dreams Liveable Only By 1% Of The World Population. *holding back tears in the face of opression*. I MY FAMILY AND MY PEOPLE LOVE SPACE FOR NOW AND ALL TIME, PLEASE DON'T KILL US WITH YOUR DEATH-RAYS FROM THE SKY.