New $50 Million Space Prize for Orbital Flight
Posted on: Monday, 27 September 2004, 06:00 CDT
NEW YORK, Sept. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- In an exclusive story in its September 27 issue, Aviation Week & Space Technology reports that a new $50 million "America's Space Prize" is being established by a millionaire space entrepreneur. The prize will go to the first team that can build a commercial space transport capable of sending 5-7 astronauts at a time into orbit.
Aviation Week further reports that millionaire Robert T. Bigelow will be putting up at least half of the money for the new prize to transport astronauts to his new Nautilus "inflatable" space outposts.
Aviation Week was given a look at the inflatable space module development inside Bigelow's heavily guarded plant near North Las Vegas, Nev. The magazine reports that the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston is providing substantial technical assistance to the Nautilus project.
Bigelow's "America's Space Prize" is to be announced this week as part of ceremonies surrounding attempts by the Burt Rutan Scaled Composites "SpaceShipOne" team to win the $10 million Ansari X-Prize to reach suborbital space at 62 mile altitude. The America's Prize, however, is to award five times more money than the X-Prize and presents far greater challenges than the X-Prize, says Aviation Week.
The America's Prize will require the development of a vehicle that could maneuver and dock with an orbiting space station at well over 100 miles altitude, then survive a reentry back into the atmosphere at 17,500 mph. This is something Rutan's SpaceShipOne is not designed to do and the NASA space shuttle can do only at great expense and risk.
Bigelow, who earned his fortune as the founder of Budget Suites of America, wants to lease out his Nautilus inflatable modules so companies and government agencies can perform research at far less cost than on board the International Space Station.
For further information, please visit http://www.aviationnow.com/.
About Aviation Week Group
With nearly 50 products and services and an audience of millions of professionals and enthusiasts, the Aviation Week Group, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, is the largest multimedia information and services provider to the global aviation and aerospace industry. The cornerstone of the Aviation Week portfolio is Aviation Week & Space Technology, the world's leading aviation and aerospace industry magazine, covering technology, business and operations in the commercial, military and space markets for more than 100,000 paid subscribers in 180 countries. The group's web portal, http://www.aviationnow.com/, offers the industry's most reliable news, information and features.
About The McGraw-Hill Companies
Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, BusinessWeek and McGraw-Hill Education. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2003 were $4.8 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.
Aviation Week Group
CONTACT: Media Contacts:Craig CovaultAviation Week & Space Technology321-433-9933Covault@AviationWeek.comRob KulatKulat Communications(732) 219-5816KuComm@Hotmail.com
Web site: http://www.aviationnow.com/http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/
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