On Fri, 3 Dec 2004 22:38:01 -0600, "Jeff Franks"
wrote:

Again, I go back to the Wright brothers.

Jeff, you keep bringing up the Wright brothers. Since Rutan and
Spaceship One did not pioneer the space lob [he just re-enacted it
without using government funding and in less technical fashion than
originally done by the US and The Soviet Union government space
programs, although in the event, NASA did do the tracking], I maintain
that you cannot compare Rutan's capturing the X prize to the Wright
brothers first flight.

The Wright brothers were not duplicating something that had been done
thirty five or so years prior with the technology for achieving it
widely known, only doing it cheaper. They concieved, tested and flew
the worlds first controllable airplane. It was one of the most
profound events to occur in the 20th century. People with vision
almost immediately saw future uses for the airplane. Rutan did not
do anything like that, he found a cheaper way to repeat what had
already been done. The absolute only thing that is possible with
Rutan's device is to refine it and give people with a LOT of
disposable income expensive thrill rides. That's all my limited brain
can imagine. Can you think of anything beyond that?

If lobbing vehicals into near space was such a technical triumph, why
do you suppose neither the US nor the Soviet Union ever did it again
once they had managed it the first time? Hint, it wasn't because it
was too expensive.

Corky Scott