----- Original Message -----
From: "David Stern" <drstern@ix.netcom.com>
To: <extropians@extropy.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 02, 2001 4:03 PM
Subject: Re: SPACE: Death of the "indie" bossters
> The technology just hasn't gotten to the point that
> >private venture investment can make a go of it. There aren't any
> >intermediate steps to orbit to establish an incremental approach that
> >smaller, private ventures can build on one step at a time: The initial
> >threshold of success is just too high. Until material and manufacturing
> >technology get to the point where a relatively small group of people can
> make
> >a go of it n one relatively short push from start to finish, I think
space
> >access will continue to be the domain of governments and huge
institutions.
>
> The X-Prize Foundation offers a 10 million dollar prize to the first
> private group to fly 3 passengers to 100 km in a re-usable vehicle.
> There are 18 entries listed on their web site.
>
> http://www.xprize.org/
>
>
> David Stern
>
10 billion might raise a few more eyebrows; this is expensive stuff! 10
million would hardly pay Doug's wages for a month, or Spike's, for that
matter.
Emlyn
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