Private Space
Aircraft builder Burt Rutan has unveiled the craft he says will take the first private-sector flight to space. Rutan does without big rockets in favor of a mother-ship which carries a smaller ship aloft. And boy do they look funky.
Rutan wants to demonstrate that space tourism can work.
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It's really is very cool. When I was a kid and saw Rutan's "breeze easy" kit planes for the first time, I thought they looked like space fighters from some science fiction movie. If I had only known.
There's a story at MSNBC that mentions some of the regulatory hurdles he has to overcome.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/903100.asp?0cv=TA01
As things are now, the rocket plane is considered a glider by the FAA, and not certified for passengers.
I know a guy who's been building a Rutan Long-Ez for about the past 20 years. You could not pay me enough to ride in that thing if/when its ever finished. Its more like a motorcycle sidecar with wings than an airplane.
kind of ironic that the russians got there first, nyet? i'd like to continue on with the dildo styling myself 😀 cheers!
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