Privately funded Ship Reaches edge of space!

A piloted rocket released from a spider-like mother plane shot straight up into the desert sky here Thursday, climbing to 211,400 feet and becoming the first privately funded vehicle to reach the edge of space.

Now this is very exciting!!! 10 years from now could there be inexpensive rocket ships?

news.yahoo.com.../latimests/20040514/ts_latimes/incapitalventurerocketreachestheedgeofspace



[Edited on 14-5-2004 by BlackJackal]

If I knew in advance that I wasn't going to be a permanent satellite, I would love to do this. Look at that picture! He might as well be IN space, nt on its edge ...

[Edited on 5/14/04 by xenophanes85]

Yeah, I saw the footage on the news. I gotta say, that's pretty damn impressive!

i love this. i'd love to see this happen more often.

i'm all for privatizing this and taking the leach known as NASA off the government payroll.

this might even spark competition, which means finding ways to make it easier, cheaper, more efficient...unlike NASA who just wants to throw money at every problem they come against.

i think the space shuttle program is out dated and highly inefficient. i think its possible to get into space with a smaller, non modular craft...the heavier it is the more fuel is needed, thus those huge tanks...but you dont always need a HUGE craft. you can use a smaller one saving tons of fuel and money. it makes space exploration much more flexible. instead of working the space program around ONE platform of space craft you can make at least three different platforms of craft to work around your program. its a win win situation if you ask me.

that and the space shuttle is OLD...its equpiment is OLD. even if they redesigned the space shuttle with all the latest wink wonk stuff it would still be way smaller but since they arent competing with anyone they dont care, its not their money they're spending.


good find here!

International treaties, combined with extreme costs, have kept businesses and private citizens from space exploitation. Several companies have plans to go to space, mostly to mine materials or gases from interstellar bodies. Whether or not the internation community releases the treaties, we are going to see further imput from businesses in the space program.

A while back a guy in Russia was saying he could design a "Billboard" to be seen in orbit against the night sky. Its good to know that there are civilians out there that would be capable of shooting them out of the sky if the jerk ever succeeded.