New Giant Plane To Launch People, Cargo, Into Orbit

redwing · Dec 13, 2011

SEATTLE (AP) — Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and aerospace pioneer Burt Rutan announced Tuesday they're building a giant airplane and spaceship to zip people and cargo into orbit.
But unlike traditional rockets and government spaceships, the new commercial spaceship will drop from a high-flying airplane instead of blasting off from a launch pad.
"When I was growing up, America's space program was the symbol of aspiration," Allen said at a news conference. "For me, the fascination with space never ended. I never stopped dreaming what might be possible."
Allen bemoaned the fact that government-sponsored spaceflight is waning and said his new project would "keep America at the forefront of space exploration" and give a new generation of children something to dream about.
"We have plenty and many challenges ahead of us," he said.
Allen and Rutan join a field crowded with Silicon Valley veterans who grew up on "Star Trek" and now want to fill a void created with the retirement of NASA's space shuttle. Several companies are competing to develop spacecraft to deliver cargo and astronauts to the International Space Station.
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KenJackson · Dec 29, 2011

Excellent!

I love what NASA has done, but it'll be really good to get the platinum-plating government out of the way and let private enterprise find an economic, energy-efficient and profitable way to get into space.

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New Giant Plane To Launch People, Cargo, Into Orbit

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New Giant Plane To Launch People, Cargo, Into Orbit

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