ISRAELI X PRIZE TEAM RECRUITS SERIOUS BRAINPOWER AND SECURES NEW SPONSORSHIP

xprize.org ^ | 12/1/03 | Diane Murphy/Lisa Clarke

[KevinDavis]

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL (Nov 27, 2003) - In the continuing quest to build the first privately funded reusable spacecraft, IL Aerospace technologies (ILAT) introduced today their newest team member: Professor Claude Oiknine, one of Israel's top scientist and pioneer of the "Shavit" satellite launcher among other high-profile space programs. Prof. Oiknine was appointed Chief Technical Officer of ILAT where he will lead the Israeli effort in every technical capacity. In addition to this appointment, the team received another boost from AERODAN Systems LTD, an innovated aeronautical engineering firm comprised of more than 25 top-notch industry experts. AERODAN has agreed to provide ILAT with a broad range of services in the subjects of aerodynamics, heat transfer, performance simulations, finite element analysis (FEA), guidance and control.

[KevinDavis]

I doubt it they win, but at least there is more competition in the xprize.

[KevinDavis]

Space Ping! This is the space ping list! Let me know if you want on or off this list!

[GeronL]

Have you read The Return by Buzz Aldrin?? The more the merrier, and the more the faster we get off our world.

We need to go farther!!

[Analyzing Inconsistencies]

And yet NASA (unlike DARPA) still won't offer competitive prizes despite Congressional approval:

http://www.spaceprojects.com/prizes

[GeronL]

What is NASA's budget?? Now what do you think private industry could do in space with that much money? Do you think private industry would STILL be using the shuttle, if they ever would have??

In THE RETURN, co-written by Barnes and BUZZ Aldrin... a private company decides that those SRB's should be really re-usable instead of being shipped to Utah and rebuilt after every launch.

The space Shuttle Main Engine would be a better engine on the boosters, plus wings and a computer that would guide the booster to an unmanned airplane-type landing on a runway. Take out the old engine to be rebuilt, put in a new one and its ready to be used again within days!

Now, why can't all the nerds in NASA have come up with that? and why haven't they even done some looking into it?

Thats one idea that NASA could have put into place since the book was published.

I still don't understand why they cancelled the crew return vehicle?? It was going according to plan, faster though, and it was WAY under budget.... so they cancelled it.

NASA is not a real space agency... they are a government bureaucracy.

[Analyzing Inconsistencies]

NASA's also a JOBS PROGRAM. It doesn't pay to cut costs. To answer your question, NASA has a larger budget than all the rest of the world's civilian space agencies COMBINED:

http://www.spaceprojects.com/Chinese-space-program

[Lee'sGhost]

I thought a (any) team was supposed to have made an attempt by now. What's up with that? I mean, does anyone know when someone will actually try to win this thing?

Come on, damn it, engage!