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*$ 10 m Private Rocket ship contest about to blast into space

TRAVEL FOR THE MASSES WILL COME A LITTLE CLOSER IN NEXT FEW WEEKS

Space travel the massed will move a little closer in the next few weeks, when America’s Space Ship One and Canada’s da Vinci project blast off towards the stratosphere. The two projects blast off towards the stratosphere. The two projects are vying for the $ 10 million Ansari X – prize for the first privately – financed space project which can launch three people to a height of 100 kilometers, safely return them to earth, then repeat the process using the same craft within two weeks.
The Ansari X-prize was inaugurated in 1996 by a coalition of business leaders from St Louis, Missouri, including the credit card company First USA, the New Spirit card company First USA, the New Spirit of St Louis Organisation and the Jump – start the space tourism industry through competition among the most talented entrepreneurs and rocket experts in the world.
The organisers say they were inspired by Charles Lindbergh’s first solo flight across the Atlantic in “spirit of St Louis”, in 1927, which opened new frontiers for air travel. The moment of truth is at hand for spaceShipOne and da Vinci, which have until January 2005 ti clim the $10 million prize .
Another 24 entries seem to have fallen by the way side. First to go will be the favourite, SpaceShipOne, on September 29. SSI will take off from the mother ship, ignite its hybrid nitrous oxide and solid fuel rocket motor, and blast space-wards at a top speed of 3,580kph.
By the time SSI has burned its fuel, it should be 100km above the globe. Then it will convert itself into a glider by extending its wings, drift back to earth, and land back at base. To secure the X-prize, the project owners, Scaled Composites, will need to complete a second flight is tentatively scheduled for October 4, which would leave time for a third attempt before the two week timeframe, expires.
The craft, designed and built by aviation legend Burt Rutan is sponsored by Microsoft Co-founder Paul Allen.
Meanwhile, on October2, the da Vinci project hopes to take to the skies above Saskatchewan, Canada, with its Wild Fire MK VI design, which users a helium filled balloon to lift the spacecraft to 24,384 metres. Da Vinci, which recently changed its name to the Golden Palace.Com (“the biggest and best online casino in the world”) Space Project , will drop from the balloon, ignite the rocket, and blast to the required height.
The capsule, containing the pilot and ballast equivalent to two passengers, will detach itself from the rocket, then return to earth by parachute. Airbags will cushion the landing impact.
Da Vinci tested the balloon part of the project on September 12, and declared it a success. SSI’s Rutan says that winning the X-Prize is an inspiration, and when the project is operational, he wants to fly three people into space once a week. He wants to buck the notion that only millionaires such as Dennis Tito and Mark Shutleworth can travel to the “final frontier “ on $20 million tickets. There’s no word yet on how much Rutan’s tickets. There’s no word yet on how much Rutan’s tickets will cost.
Graphic News
Up, up and away
Left : scaled composite’s space ship one being lifted beneath its launch aircraft white knight
Over California’s Mojave Desert.

Above: Test pilots(left rear) Brian Binnie and Pete siebold – who flew the white knight mother ship carrying spaceshipone to nearly 50,000 feet on May 19
and (front ) Mike Melvill and Doug Shane.0

(Source: Gulf News)