Spaceship One Designer Says Team Will Compete for 'X' Prize
VOANews.com: "The designer of the privately-built SpaceShipOne says his team is ready to make an attempt to win the $10 million Ansari X Prize by carrying more weight on its next flight."Big surpise. Everybody saw it coming. I mean, who wouldn't try to launch a spacecraft again that worked the first time for 10,000 grand?
After the first time, Mr. Rutan didn't have enough time to improve the craft and do maintainance soon enough to win the "X-Prize". This time, though, he's sure he's going for it.
If private space travel were to become reliable, affordable, and readily availible, we've opened up a whole new industry. I guess the questions that are floating through my mind are:
What effect will it have on the economy, if any?
New industry, but may hurt other transportation.
Will it be popular?
Maybe, if people can handle the fear.
What about handling 0-G?
Astronauts need years of training, remember.
Will new problems be opened up?
Thing such as the need for new safety regulations as well as control of space junk will definitely be needed.
There's no way to really tell until we get there. We don't need these extra worries until we're sure we can use this.
posted by Harrison M. @ 2:19 PM
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