While reading Michael Belfiore’s new book this weekend, I was struck by Brian Binnie’s description of his X-Prize winning flight. Well, Jeff Foust has a report on a speech that Brian gave this past weekend, on what an amazing experience it will be. And if you can’t oversell it, it makes it a double shame that Rocketplane may not be able to sell it at all.

While reading Michael Belfiore’s new book this weekend, I was struck by Brian Binnie’s description of his X-Prize winning flight. Well, Jeff Foust has a report on a speech that Brian gave this past weekend, on what an amazing experience it will be. And if you can’t oversell it, it makes it a double shame that Rocketplane may not be able to sell it at all.

While reading Michael Belfiore’s new book this weekend, I was struck by Brian Binnie’s description of his X-Prize winning flight. Well, Jeff Foust has a report on a speech that Brian gave this past weekend, on what an amazing experience it will be. And if you can’t oversell it, it makes it a double shame that Rocketplane may not be able to sell it at all.

Thomas James has a link roundup.

And don’t miss this speech from NASA’s head congressional liaison:

Scarcely a week after the Challenger accident, President Reagan gave his State of the Union. And to a nation still in mourning he declared,

Here’s an excellent example of why the monolithic, “study it forever and then select a single concept” NASA approach is the wrong way to do vehicle development. With private enterprise in the game, and competing concepts, we’ll be able to let the market sort out which is best. And I’ll bet that there’s market for both.

This isn’t good news, if true:

Urie said the funds being used to build the Rocketplane XP, a converted Learjet fitted with a delta wing and a rocket engine, were funneled into Rocketplane

From people attempting to leave it:

While these ventures have a futuristic outlook, what no one questions is whether the planet, already inundated with harmful emissions, needs yet more of them from space vehicles that serve no other purpose that to give rides for people with money to burn for a brief personal adventure.

Planes provide needed transportation and scientific rockets hopefully will benefit humankind. But do we really need to unload more fuel emissions into the skies with tourist rockets while we haven

Instapundit and John Miller remember Robert Heinlein, whose centennial celebration will be held tomorrow in Kansas City, the town of his birth. I wish I could attend.

I should note, though, that Glenn omits probably the most influential book on space entrepreneurs: The Man Who Sold The Moon.

Henry Cate, who originated the Carnival of Space a couple months ago, is hosting the tenth one this week.

Leonard David has a useful report on Esther Dyson’s recent conference on personal spaceflight and personal jet flight.

I have to say that she certainly has jumped into this with both feet.

And this was an interesting comment from Virgin Galactic COO Alex Tai:

Tai said he’s looking for that “Netscape moment” when the public space travel business rockets to stardom – just like the internet browser did when it kicked-started the dotcom boom of the mid-1990s.

“We have taken in $25 million from an interest of 80,000 people…with our tiny sales force,” Tai told SPACE.com. “There’s a huge appetite for this offering once we get out there…once we prove that it’s something that’s going to be safe, really fun to do, and is repeatable. What will happen then is that, suddenly, everyone will see Virgin Galactic making an awful lot of money. And that is the next ‘go’ moment.”

Tai speculated that when Richard Branson decides to fund his next big venture, and he sells 10 percent of Virgin Galactic for $100 million, people will hunger to be part of the public space travel business.

“But at the moment, these guys don’t want to invest because there hasn’t been that Netscape moment,” Tai continued. “It is being held up because Virgin Galactic is the gorilla in the room. Who is going to take Virgin on? That’s a shame because I believe it’s a massive market. I would much rather there’s competition getting ready now,” Tai concluded.

Yes, a smart businessman recognizes that competition is necessary for a healthy industry, particularly when it’s first getting off the ground (in this case, literally).