For anyone that's been living in a box, the X-Prize has been won. Basically, the X-prize required someone to make two consecutive manned flights into space (low space) and gave you $10million to the winner. Well, someone won a couple days ago.

The whole purpose of the x-prize was to encourage private spacecraft to be developed. Once this became real, the hope was that space travel would become more common place.

So...it looks like it's working. The company that built the first successful commercial spacecraft signed a deal with the man behind Virign to provide spacecraft for commercial space flight. Right now, we're looking at space tourism at $100,000 per ticket. And there's already competition before the first commercial ship is off the ground. Chances are, in the next couple of years the price will fall dramatically. Also, there are already plans for inflatable space hotels.

I'll drop links to all this stuff if anyone really cares, but most of you are capable of googling.

Anyway, I think this is unbelievably wonderful. Our governments have let us down for decades when it comes to space. Finally we're doing it without them. Imagine taking a date into low earth orbit to a zero-g Hilton and exploring all the freedoms a 0-g hotel room would allow.

I think its a great idea to bring space travel into the public sector. With civilian companies into the mix brings compition and new technology. It puts more thrust (if you will) behind the space program as a whole and it brings me closer to my dream of taking a crap in 0 gravity.

interesting indeed.

i love this super-tech talk.

I agree with 11b. Private interest only spurs development. The government is too loaded down with beaurocracy to move anywhere near as fast as the private sector. And I can't wait to drop pennies at derf from space.

I dont care, the pennies will burn up before they get close to me you nob-head.

lol. While I also agree about the private interest and stuff, I don't think I'm gonna spend a nickel on going to space in the coming 10 years, or longer. Like I'm gonna spend cash on potentially getting killed, hah. Like with SP2 , I'll be waiting until they perfect the technique and let a lot of people die an expensive death first. But you know my motto: we should stay as much out of space as can.

I gotta stop giving money to beggars when I'm drunk, btw. I get all mellow and human-loving, it's weird.

Again, i am in agreement with the Private issue. This is naturally down to the fact of public interest and corporate competition. However, dont forget people, that Private institutoins are essentially socially irresponsible. Thats a fact.