By Leonard David
Senior Space Writer

The Federal Aviation Administration's associate administrator for commercial space transportation has given license approval to Scaled Composites of Mojave, Calif., permitting the firm to expand flight testing of SpaceShipOne - a privately financed rocket plane to carry passengers to suborbital altitude.

Scaled Composites' SpaceShipOne effort is being led by aircraft designer Burt Rutan, who heads the company. The rocket plane and its carrier mothership, the White Knight, were unveiled a year ago. Since that time, the craft has undergone extensive piloted glide tests and one powered flight.

Rutan and his team of Scaled Composites engineers are vying for the $10 million X Prize purse. The competition is geared to advance routine suborbital passenger flight, as well as hasten the day of regular and, hopefully, low-cost orbital voyages of private citizens.
Roar power

SpaceShipOne's first powered flight, making use of a hybrid rocket motor, took place last Dec. 17. The piloted rocket plane broke through the sound barrier on the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers' historic flight over Kitty Hawk, N.C. .....

Full Report Link: From MSNBC.com
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Will NASA be able to compete with the private
corperate world in space?

Is this the very begining of the future
of human space exploration?

Gazz

i think the future will be 1 of companies like esso etc breaking the frontiers of space.The moon will be the first to be monoplised for its natural resources/metals etc and then from then on there will be no stopping the great onslaught of big companies looking for there chunk of space.

I posted this story earlier with a picture

http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum...showtopic=14845

So sorry fearfulone, I see you did post
this on April 13, but I posted this on
April 8 ....hmmmmmmmm...lol

Its ok they can delete mine yours is so
much better and more current!

Just kidding!

Gazz

Well http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum...showtopic=14489 Apr 8 too I dont care just thought I'd get in on the act.

Ok Bleeding Heart wins by a nose!

lol... The mods must now delete all other posts..lol

Bleeding Heart is the winner, does he
get a prize?

Really I think we all should look a little
more before we post, I have been guilty
of doing this before, and end up feeling
like an A$$

Gazz

Actually Im tired read am as pm you win by about 9 hours

well I must be more tired than you because
I fell for it...lol

Now give me my prize back!

Gazz