Hi Jay P Hailey, hope you are having a nice day

JPH>I guess you're right.  These folks aren't messing around.  If you get a
JPH>stable internet connection - google for X Prize and read their web site.
JPH>Zowie.

 That group that was in Analog were quite serious abt what they were
doing. The big reason they didn't want to deal w/ the gov't/nasa or
big investors was the usual prob of once you get their money then it
turns into a case of `Well it's *our* money you're spending so we want
you to do it our way or....'

 Might be slow going the way they were doing it but end the end
better to get it done than to be sabotaged from within.

 Me. I'm just waiting 'till the odds get better for the lottery.
We already know that a round trip ticket to the ISS via Russian
Energia is only $20M. But thanks to all those highly specialized
and technical magazines I've gotten over the years, which never get
read by those outside the field they cover, I can safely say that
for abt $30M (give or take a few grand) the technology exists right
now to build a 99% fully functional Incomm T-95 `X-Wing' Starfighter.

 The only part that's not doable just yet is the ftl drive, but all
the rest including the ftl comm system is from a lot of off the shelf
parts and not that many custom ones.

 Hmmmm..... $20M for one trip vs. $30M to become the pesky neighbor
always asking for a cup of Tang....

 You thirsty by any chance? ]];>

 -=> Yours sincerely, Paul Williams <=-

... "Todd, this is a little bit silly."--Ed
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