"Mike Beede" wrote in message
...

So now it's not "it's already been done," it's "it *could* have
been already done?"


Yes, manned suborbital flight has already been done.



I think it's time to give up.


Do what you must.



The X-15 was a really cool plane, but
it wouldn't qualify for the X-Prize even if it was operational today. It
couldn't carry passengers.


You're missing the point. The X-Prize does not require any new technology
or capability. Manned suborbital spaceflight was accomplished and abandoned
over forty years ago.