explanation
Human space flight has entered the domain of private companies. Previously, large countries like the US [ http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/us.html ] and Russia [ http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/rs.html ] have hired privately owned civilian companies to do specific tasks in support of their public [ http://www.nasa.gov/ ] human space flight [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/ ] programs. Yesterday, however, the solely corporate SpaceShipOne [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030627.html ] soared 100 kilometers above the Earth for the second time in two weeks to claim the coveted $10 million dollar X-Prize [ http://www.xprize.org/ ] put forward by Ansari to inspire private space flight development. The X-prize was modeled after the Orteig prize [ http://www.charleslindbergh.com/plane/orteig.asp ] that was designed to inspire ocean-crossing airplane flights and won by Charles Lindbergh [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Lindberg ] in 1927. The impressive success [ http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2004/oct/HQ_04329_SpaceShipOne.html ] of SpaceShipOne [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040625.html ], designed by a team led by engineer Burt Rutan [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burt_Rutan ], could usher in a new age of inexpensive commercial space flights that includes space tourism [ http://aerospacescholars.jsc.nasa.gov/HAS/cirr/em/8/5.cfm ] and an increased presence of humans in space. Scaled Composite's SpaceShipOne is pictured [ http://www.scaled.com/projects/tierone/gallery/flight_general?page=5 ] soaring high above the Earth in a practice run last December.
Explanation
false