The X Prize
Enabling human ingenuity and adventure in space
Introduction
Like most members of the pro-space community, one
of my many goals in life is to privately venture into space. In the late
1970s I believed that the space shuttle would be the vehicle that would
make that possible. In the late 1980s I believed that space
commercialization would make that possible. Unfortunately, in 1995, the
only opportunity we have to fly into space remains joining the government
astronaut corp--today we are no closer to being able to purchase a ticket
for a private trip into space then we were 20 years ago. The
X Prize concept has grown out of this frustration and it
provides a new method to catalyze the creation of a spaceship for the
rest of us.
Peter H. Diamandis is chairman of the X Prize Foundation and founder of the International Space University.
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