T-Minus What Now?

We’re getting closer to manned commercial spaceflight:

The world’s first privately funded spacecraft will fly again on Sept. 29, its U.S. backers said Tuesday.

SpaceShipOne, as the vehicle is called, will make its first attempt to win the Ansari X Prize, a $10 million award to the first private rocket to carry the equivalent of three passengers to an altitude of 100 kilometers (62 miles) twice within two weeks.

The prize rules require contestants to give at least 60 days’ notice of their intent to launch.

Famed aviator Burt Rutan, head of Scaled Composites of Mojave, Calif., said at a news briefing the first attempt has been scheduled for the end of September, meaning the craft will have to launch again and reach the target altitude successfully by Oct. 13.

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Mark your calender for October 13th, so you’ll be sure to remember what day the world changes — yet again. There’s been a lot of that going around the last few years.

UPDATE

Frank Martin writes:

Osama is eating spam and squishing crickets in a cave somewhere while Burt and the boys are going into space. The whole islamic world can barely make pencils, while our people (without government assistace no less) build craft to take us away from the cradle of earth.

Now go buy yourself a way-cool t-shirt, and help support charities in Mojave, CA — soon to be known as Space City, USA, I hope.

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