New secret Xprize spaceship revealed!!

[LordRaiden]

Linky

Apparently they've been developing this thing in secret all this time. Man, that is one weird looking ship. Reminds me of something out of a space novel.

Personally, it would be cool if it was the X prize winning design. From the sounds of it, this will be it.

 

[Coolone]

i wonder how much it costs to take a ride?

 

[datalink7]

Go private industry!

Initial development tests on the program began in 1999 and when Rutan decided he could move ahead, he got funding and began full development, in secret, in April 2001. His goal, he said, was to put together a space program that focused on building the actual vehicles rather than concepts.

LMAO!

 

[chiwawa626]

I wonder if it will work.

 

[slick230]

This is great news, and great progress. Hopefully this project or others inspired will be able to demonstrate the viability of privately funded and developed space flight. Take it out of the hands of overburdened, oversized and underfunded governmental agencies and let the private sector run with it. Maybe this will get us out of the current stagnant state of space development and allow us to really see what's out there.

 

[UglyCasanova]

I saw some show on the Xprize on TLC, and it had Burt Rutan talking about how he wanted to win it. That would be cool if he did.

On a different note there was this amazing song at the end of the show when everyone was out in the desert launching rockets. Does anyone have any idea what song it was? I some of you had to see the show because for a while they would rerun it every single day.

 

[BatmanNate]

Originally posted by: dparker
I saw some show on the Xprize on TLC, and it had Burt Rutan talking about how he wanted to win it. That would be cool if he did.

On a different note there was this amazing song at the end of the show when everyone was out in the desert launching rockets. Does anyone have any idea what song it was? I some of you had to see the show because for a while they would rerun it every single day.

Elton John - Rocketman

 

[UglyCasanova]

Originally posted by: BatmanNate

Originally posted by: dparker
I saw some show on the Xprize on TLC, and it had Burt Rutan talking about how he wanted to win it. That would be cool if he did.

On a different note there was this amazing song at the end of the show when everyone was out in the desert launching rockets. Does anyone have any idea what song it was? I some of you had to see the show because for a while they would rerun it every single day.

Elton John - Rocketman

No, no. That's not it. I doubt anyone has a clue what I'm talking about. Oh well, Cheers to Burt!!! :beer:

 

[LordRaiden]

Originally posted by: slick230
This is great news, and great progress. Hopefully this project or others inspired will be able to demonstrate the viability of privately funded and developed space flight. Take it out of the hands of overburdened, oversized and underfunded governmental agencies and let the private sector run with it. Maybe this will get us out of the current stagnant state of space development and allow us to really see what's out there.

I agree. When you keep the hands of government out of a project, amazing things can be acomplished. Allow government in and you can forget it.

 

[ElFenix]

thats pretty frickin' sweet!


so.. the DC-X was working and they just axed the project? thats what the article sounds like.

 

[ReiAyanami]

sure beats that segway hype

 

[LordRaiden]

Segways suck. Now hover boards, those are the in thing. Oh wait, I wasn't supposed to say anything about those yet.

 

[Kenazo]

I read about that in last month's Popular Mechanics

 

[Azraele]

Cool.

 

[ThePresence]

New Scientist

 

[conjur]

Discover Magazine - July, 2002

 

[astroview]

The Rutan brothers kick butt. Their Voyager aircraft was amazing, and the homebuilt variviggen is really cool.


I hope that someone wins the Xprize ASAP!

 

[Feanor727]

This looks like it has real promise. The only question is, what's the next logical step? If anyone can get to space for relatively little expense, what are we going to do there? Stripmine and colonize the moon? Jaunt off to mars? Build a few more space stations as tourist attractions?

 

[astroview]

I say we take it one step at a time, and first develop things that can get us up there for cheap. Let's deal with the exploitation later, I'm sure there were be a ton of possibilities.

 

[brigden]

I say we have a poke 'round Phobos and Demos...

 

[Cerb]

On Brigden's note...I just want to see Carmack's rocket make it to space

 

[Armitage]

Very Cool! Rutan is a god!
Before anybody gets to excited though ... note that this is an X prize contender where the only issues are altitude & turn-around time. Reaching orbit and coming back is a completly different game.

 

[Cerb]

Ergeorge, that may be, but if someone gets it it will be one hell of a start.

 

[Brutuskend]

I found some better pic's here