The first private space ship took its place Wednesday next to Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis, a hoped-for symbol of a new era of space
tourism alongside the icon of trans-Atlantic flight. SpaceShipOne's designer, Burt Rutan, and its financier, Microsoft Corp. co-founder Paul Allen,
were on hand as the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum took ownership of the 28-foot star-spangled spacecraft. A year ago, Rutan
and Allen captured the $10 million Ansari X Prize when SpaceShipOne dashed to the edge of space twice in five days. The prize was aimed at encouraging
space tourism through the development of low-cost private spacecraft.
www.orlandosentinel.com
Rutan told several hundred visitors in the building's giant lobby that he was pleased the Smithsonian so quickly recognized the importance of
SpaceShipOne.
"I knew that the significance would be known and understood by everyone in 10 years," said Rutan, 62. "I'm extremely pleased to see it here this
early."
Like many space entrepreneurs, Rutan thinks the private sector can do what NASA cannot: inspire tomorrow's astronauts and scientists by offering them
the real promise of a trip to space.
NASA is phasing out the space shuttle and instead plans to return to the moon, for $104 billion over 13 years. It is a plan Rutan dismisses.
"We'll go back to the moon by not learning anything new," Rutan said.
He envisions a day in the not-too-distant future when resort hotels orbit the earth and offer excursions around the moon.
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To us at the moment SpaceShipOne is just a private spacecraft...the beggining of our future.
But to people in 100 years, it will be the beggining of their present!
SpaceShipOne has opened the door to commercial space flight and shown that we dont need a multi-billion dollar budget to get to space!
[edit on 6/10/2005 by MickeyDee]
[edit on 6/10/2005 by MickeyDee]
[edit on 10/15/05 by FredT]