Let's go to space together

I thought private flights to space would not be possible during my lifetime but this is great news. The plane is $20M that could be a bit expensive to own one (!) but the trips should be priced around $100K which looks more accessible...

I like this quote of Michael Melvill, the 63 years old pilot who just came back: "Looking at the Earth from up there is almost a religious experience"

Here is what Dan says about it:

A New Frontier for Humanity

It's impossible to overstate the importance of this morning's privately funded space flight by Mike Melvill, who piloted SpaceShipOne into a suborbital flight 100 kilometers high. Neil Armstrong took a giant step in 1969, but this was just as important.

I have huge respect for NASA, the U.S. space agency. But NASA needs the help of private explorers and industry, and of people like Paul Allen, the Microsoft co-founded who funded this mission. We need NASA for the giant endeavors, but we need privately funded space flight for everything else.

The first primary use of these ships will, no doubt, be tourism. A few years ago I reconciled myself to not living long enough to go into space. Now I think I have a shot at seeing my home from a distance that shows the curvature of the Earth.

Tourism is only the beginning, of course. Humanity must get off this planet, in part because we are an exploring, expansionist species but also in part because the survival of the species may depend on it. This is a great step toward the new frontier.

Congratulations to all.

Note: There's great coverage of this entire mission, and more, at Space.com