Rutan hits 200k feet! Almost there!

"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote in message
ink.net...

"C J Campbell" wrote in message
...

Somebody step on your tail? It really is going to be tough. If
Rutan were attempting something easy, it wouldn't be worth all
that attention, would it? What, are you trying to belittle his
accomplishments or what he is trying to do?


Just what is the point of the whole X-Prize competition anyway? I
understand the requirements, but why do it all? The Rutan Voyager flight
wasn't particularly useful either, but it was something that hadn't been
done before.

Someone might have said the same thing to the Wrights.

The idea is to prove that privately financed space travel is both feasible
and reasonable. No government has managed to do what Rutan and the others
are attempting. The prize has the additional advantage of attracting media
attention so that, once it has been won, public interest in space tourism
will be generated.