New X Prize Sets Sights - Science, Technology and Social Solutions

SpaceNut · 2004-10-10 18:39:40

Unexpected results from SpaceShipOne, One of the elements that a prize does is that it gives people permission to take risks is that the sky’s the limit.

The X Prize Foundation and the World Technology Network announced today the formation of a joint venture to launch a series of technology incentive prizes to help spur innovation and breakthroughs in a range of scientific arenas.

Sort of like the centenial prizes of Nasa.

http://www.space.com/news/new_xprize_041007.html

http://www.wtnxprize.org/

Ad Astra · 2004-10-10 20:37:15

One of the prizes is for a four-seat vehicle that gets 200 miles per gallon in a cross country race. Sounds very challenging, but a $10 mil prize may get the auto industry working to push the technological envelope. Even if they can't meet their goal, a noble attempt at it may still yield spin offs that will improve our lives.

Stu · 2004-10-11 15:19:59

"Virgin Galactic" passengers to fly to Bowie soundtrack...

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/10/11 … ce_oddity/

Er, wasn't "Space Oddity" about a space mission that went wrong, and a DOOMED astronaut?

Rxke · 2004-10-11 16:28:26

As much as I love Bowie, I guess for that price people ought to be able to pick their own music, no?

REM man on the moon??? Pass me the bag please, going to get sick!
(That's no music ro space... Idiots...)

The Fed Man · 2004-10-11 18:56:48

3. Aging deceleration: Extension of mammal life, or demonstrated evidence of aging reversal

I can't wait ot see what comes from this one.

Mad Grad Student · 2004-10-11 21:46:47

It should be interesting to see what comes out of the new X Prizes. The thing that you have to keep in mind, though, is that the original X Prize was made to encourage development not of technology, but to encourage currently existing technology's application by pravite hands. A $10 million prize won't be enough to see totally new technology come about, but it could bring about some nifty new applications for technology. The Centennial Challenges, for example, will always remain below the big contractors' radar, but will make the little guys like Scaled Composites get more creative, which can be just as good depending on what you're trying to do.

Shouldn't the people on the flights get to decide what to listen to? How about silence, isn't it golden? :laugh:

I think it's left to interpretation what happens in Space Oddity. After all, Major Tom appears in a later Bowie song, maybe he makes it out alive after all.

Stu · 2004-10-11 22:33:18

I think it's left to interpretation what happens in Space Oddity. After all, Major Tom appears in a later Bowie song, maybe he makes it out alive after all.

Okay, he is mentioned in ASHES TO ASHES (again, surely NOT a good choice for a sub-orbital flight soundtrack, with a re-entry to look forward to! ) but I still think it would be less than confidence-inspiring to hear "...there's nothing I can do" wafting out of the speakers while you're up there...

Thing is, over here in the UK, Virgin is a strange beast. Admired for its business dynamicism when it comes to selling records and mobile phones, it is ridiculed for its train services. Virgin runs one of the UK's largest and busiest cross-country routes - the one that serves my part of the country actually - and until recently it was condemned on an almost weekly basis for poor effeciency, bad time-keeping etc, so Branson's announcement that he was going to run a space tourism business was greeted with hoots of derision in some quarters. "If he can't get a train to run on time how will he launch a rocket?" etc. And, of course, the inevitable "Virgin Galactic? Would you trust a rocket that won't go all the way..?"

Palomar · 2004-10-12 06:17:45

Thing is, over here in the UK, Virgin is a strange beast. Admired for its business dynamicism when it comes to selling records and mobile phones, it is ridiculed for its train services. Virgin runs one of the UK's largest and busiest cross-country routes - the one that serves my part of the country actually - and until recently it was condemned on an almost weekly basis for poor effeciency, bad time-keeping etc, so Branson's announcement that he was going to run a space tourism business was greeted with hoots of derision in some quarters. "If he can't get a train to run on time how will he launch a rocket?" etc.

*That's interesting to know.

I mentioned in a different thread my opinion that -- even for a billionaire -- Branson is being a bit pretentious. Virgin Galactic? More like "Virgin LEO."

Not that it's necessarily a bad thing, but of course some folks will simply hop on the bandwagon for promoting their own company/corporation. I'm surprised The Donald (Trump) hasn't yet chimed in... He's so high-profile on this side of the pond. The Donald could definitely drum up some major publicity.

--Cindy

SpaceNut · 2004-10-12 07:08:04

What I find most interesting about the whole senerio is that there is now more than one possible avenue for prizes. One being as you mentioned though Nasa for the bigger aerospace contenders but now we have the new xprize and lets not forget about the launch to orbit for Bigelow's inflatable habitat contest that details are still coming in on. We live in a very exciting times to which one can only hope for the chances to follow in the foot steps of the earlier astronauts and of experincing the moon or mars some day.

Palomar · 2004-10-12 07:26:26

What I find most interesting about the whole senerio is that there is now more than one possible avenue for prizes. One being as you mentioned though Nasa for the bigger aerospace contenders but now we have the new xprize and lets not forget about the launch to orbit for Bigelow's inflatable habitat contest that details are still coming in on. We live in a very exciting times to which one can only hope for the chances to follow in the foot steps of the earlier astronauts and of experincing the moon or mars some day.

*Yep. If it takes prizes (the carrot) to get things moving along FINALLY, all the better. :laugh: Apparently there is little genuine motivation otherwise, sad to say.

--Cindy

SpaceNut · 2004-10-12 08:41:27

And another and another prize contest seems to be the only way to free up the chances for research as needed for many advance as well as off the shelf uses for every thing.

see space elevator or mars direct for article link:

Spaceward members are starting more modestly this year. They're recruiting college teams, companies -- anyone, actually -- to design an elevator car that can climb a 200-foot ribbon suspended from a crane.

The top three teams, based on speed and payload, will divide an $80,000 purse. There is a second contest for material design. See www.elevator 2010.org.

SpaceNut · 2004-11-22 11:43:14

It is good to see that just because the prize has been won that all have not given up there efforts to achieve that same goal.

Of rocketships and paper clips

If Mojave Aerospace Ventures (MAV) is the winner, then the losers must be the roughly two dozen other teams that were also competing for the prize. Yet, remarkably, many of these teams are continuing to work on their vehicles, and have even been emboldened by SpaceShipOne’s achievement to press ahead with their own ventures.

SpaceNut · 2004-11-30 05:56:24

Take a page out of the xprize book NASA intends to Lure Innovators With Cash by fleshing out plans to award prize money for space missions, technology demonstrations and student educational programs.

The agency envisions four tiers of competitions, including spaceflight missions, such as the $50-million America's Space Prize contest sponsored by hotel operator Robert Bigelow. NASA is considering partnering with Bigelow, who plans to award the money to the first team that can develop and fly a reusable orbital vehicle capable of carrying at least five passengers.

SpaceNut · 2004-12-09 12:19:50

• Dec. 8, 2004 | 7:25 p.m. ET
Holding out an X Prize cup: Now that the X Prize Foundation has handed out its $10 million purse and trophy, it's raising fresh funds for follow-ups, including the X Prize Cup , envisioned as an annual suborbital space competition modeled after the great aviation races of the past and present. In a letter to its e-mail list, the foundation admits that this year's space race left its "fuel tanks dry," and asks for donations to meet a dollar-for-dollar match of up to $100,000. Check out X Prize Race News for the letter and further background.

SpaceNut · 2005-01-17 12:12:00

Well it has been a little while since the xprize but now it is time to look towards the future with the xprize cup that may start in September.

John Creighton · 2005-01-17 14:03:13

how do you win it?

SpaceNut · 2005-01-17 14:10:25

well here is the link for the xprize cup

SpaceNut · 2005-01-18 10:53:04

Race for Next Space Prize Ignites With a mighty roar that could be heard even through the concrete walls of the blockhouse at a rocket-testing facility here, a Space Exploration Technologies rocket engine called Merlin blazed to life Friday. The camera views on the monitors in the control room trembled as the engine shook the ground of the empty Texas plain with 73,000 pounds of thrust -- enough power to send a 1,500-pound payload into orbit.

This article discusses the alternative space companies in particular the Falcon and the virgin air sub orbital.

Grypd · 2005-01-18 12:54:47

My only real problem with this space prize is its only open to American companies. This bars a lot of of the original X prize competitors. This does annoy, and shows that even with NASA wishing to gain from the experience and skills of foreign companies there is an attitude of them and us in the space launch industry.

Of course it is probably done as Bigalow has the problem that he will not be allowed to use anything other than pure american launchers to send up his inflateable modules. But it still indicates a lack of vision and smacks of protectionism.

dicktice · 2005-01-19 19:42:23

I didn't see anything in the above posts that restricted the "xprize cup' (is that, up to LEO and back?) to U.S. companies. Isn't Las Cruces Cindy's hometown? How about some first-hand on-the-spot reportage, from our own correspondent-in-residence, eh?

SpaceNut · 2005-04-14 11:56:33

X Prize Cup will come in October

A week that could bring 26,000 people to the Alamogordo, Las Cruces area will take place during the first part of October Gov. Bill Richardson announced during a news conference this morning in Las Cruces.
“Countdown to the X Prize Cup” will include X Prize Cup team demonstrations, an exhibition, the largest-ever space education day and space-related community events statewide, Richardson said.
X Prize Cup week throughout the state will also be in October, he said.

Sidebar:
Events announced for the Countdown to the X Prize Cup include:
• Demonstration flights of reusable space vehicles by future X Prize Cup contenders at the Las Cruces International Airport.
• Preview flights of the Tier-1 X Prize Rocket Racer at the Las Cruces International Airport.
• Static hardware displays of the X Prize team vehicles, flight simulations and opportunities to visit with astronauts, spacecraft designers, and X Prize team leaders and pilots.
• Education Day at the Alamogordo Space History Museum for New Mexico’s next generation of engineers, pilots, astronauts, and space entrepreneurs with more than 2000 students participating.
• During the event, Zero Gravity Corporation’s G-FORCE One will conduct weightless flights utilizing the only FAA approved zero-gravity aircraft.

SpaceNut · 2005-06-02 10:27:18

Count down has begun for the next attempts for suborbital flight.
T-Minus 127 days - Countdown to the X Prize Cup

Space Education Day for 2,000 kids will happen at the New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo on Friday, Oct. 7, and the culmination of the activities will be held Sunday, Oct. 9, at what is now being dubbed “Las Cruces Intergalactic Airport” complete with demonstrations from X Prize Cup competitors, an anti-gravity plane, Tier One Rocket Racers, Estes Rocket Competition, and a variety of related static displays and educational opportunities. X Prize Cup contenders expected to attend include Armadillo Aerospace, the Da Vinci Project and Starchaser.

Well it would appear that 3 are still working on their ships as indicated above.

Now it’s a question of keeping that momentum going. Tens of thousands of people go to Cape Canaveral for a shuttle launch which may or may not happen. X Prize is hoping to have multiple launches over multiple days.

It would seem that there is a lot of launch interest if the price were in reach of those going to watch.

SpaceNut · 2005-08-30 11:43:33

Masten Space Systems Announces X PRIZE CUP Sponsorship

/26/05 Masten Space Systems announced today that it has become an Official Partner of the 2005 Countdown to the X PRIZE CUP, which will be held in Las Cruces, New Mexico from October 6th through the 9th.

This corpration is also doing work on a project, resembling the DC-x VLVTO for suborbital flights in the future as well.

SpaceNut · 2005-09-26 13:00:52

There have been a couple of articles running down who will be at the x cup and where they stand with their rockets.

X Prize losers: still in the race, not doing anything, or too seXy for the X Cup?

This time last year there were 26 teams in a worldwide competition for the $10 million Ansari X Prize.
Sort of.
There were 26 teams on the roster, with varying degrees of seriousness, mostly determined by funding levels. No surprise, the winner was the best-financed team. Burt Rutan was first to enter the contest back in 1996, but he didn’t begin to build his space program until years later, when he partnered up with Paul Allen in Mojave Aerospace Ventures.

UP Aerospace to Exhibit Renowned 'SpaceLoft' Sub-Orbital Rocket at X PRIZE CUP

The X PRIZE CUP event will take place at the Las Cruces International Airport, New Mexico, on Sunday, October 9th, from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. Visitors can take photos along side a SpaceLoft rocket, and discuss the space-flying capabilities of this unique spacecraft with the principals of UP Aerospace.
The SpaceLoft rocket will make history on March 27, 2006, as it will be the first rocket to fly into space from New Mexico's Southwest Regional Spaceport.
The SpaceLoft rocket family offers:
* 110-pound payload capacity.
* 10,500-cubic-inches payload volume.
* Payloads up to 9.5 inches in diameter and 7 feet long.
* Options for unrestricted access to space environment.
* Opportunities for in-space payload deployment.
* Space-flight profiles up to 100 miles / 161 km with a wide range of micro-gravity experimentation time options.
* Complete on-land payload recovery.

[url=http://www.upaerospace.com]www.upaerospace.com [/url]

GCNRevenger · 2005-09-26 18:59:26

The real irony is, there are no X-Prize "winners"

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#1 2004-10-10 18:39:40

Re: New X Prize Sets Sights - Science, Technology and Social Solutions

#2 2004-10-10 20:37:15

Re: New X Prize Sets Sights - Science, Technology and Social Solutions

#3 2004-10-11 15:19:59

Re: New X Prize Sets Sights - Science, Technology and Social Solutions

#4 2004-10-11 16:28:26

Re: New X Prize Sets Sights - Science, Technology and Social Solutions

#5 2004-10-11 18:56:48

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#6 2004-10-11 21:46:47

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#7 2004-10-11 22:33:18

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#8 2004-10-12 06:17:45

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#9 2004-10-12 07:08:04

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#10 2004-10-12 07:26:26

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#11 2004-10-12 08:41:27

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#12 2004-11-22 11:43:14

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#13 2004-11-30 05:56:24

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#14 2004-12-09 12:19:50

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#15 2005-01-17 12:12:00

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#16 2005-01-17 14:03:13

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#17 2005-01-17 14:10:25

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#18 2005-01-18 10:53:04

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#19 2005-01-18 12:54:47

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#20 2005-01-19 19:42:23

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#21 2005-04-14 11:56:33

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#22 2005-06-02 10:27:18

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#23 2005-08-30 11:43:33

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#24 2005-09-26 13:00:52

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#25 2005-09-26 18:59:26

Re: New X Prize Sets Sights - Science, Technology and Social Solutions

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