The X-Prize finally has a name (as did the Orteig Prize). It will now be called the Ansari X-Prize, after immigrant Iranian entrepreneurs who have made a major donation to the foundation. They made the announcement today, the forty-third anniversary of Alan Shepherd's first suborbital flight and first flight of an American into space.

[Hat tip to Clark Lindsey]

It may not be obvious, but this is a minor win in the fight with islamic extremism. The conflict is about world view more than anything else, so having Iranians involved in something so clearly future-positive is a step in the right direction. Somewhere in Iran there is a geeky kid (or two, three or...) who just realized that he can be part of opening the high frontier - because people just like him are doing exactly that. His world view will never again be the bleak medieval wasteland of the islamists.

Right. I meant to imply that, but maybe, as you say, it wasn't obvious. It was kind of like my post the other day when I pointed out that there was an Israeli X-Prize team, but none from any Arab state of which I was aware.

I would point out that, to Arab peoples, Iranians are not Arab. Islamic yes, but not Arab.

I never claimed that Persians were Arabs.