Paul Allen: Private Spaceflight's Financier

Private spaceships need private money. It’s no different for the design, building and testing of SpaceShipOne, now undergoing final checks for a public shakeout Monday over the Mojave Desert in California.

AT 5:20 CST Rita Cosby on Fox "tossed us" to a press conference where Burt and Paul were taking questions. Many questions revolved around the risk of the flight but during one answer Burt tried to show that risks had been minimized through efforts to simplify and insure sound engineering focused on sub orbital flight.

One of the reporters asked about tourism and orbital operations and Burt elaborated that lots will happen in the next 10 - 15 years including private transport to the Moon!

Go Burt Go!

About 6-8 years ago, ole Paul convinced the state legislators and the taxpayers to build him a brand new multimillion dollar stadium in Seattle, and he'll buy the Seahawks. To get the votes on the east side, he threw the voters a bone by permitting for the 1 year the Seahawks do a few practice sessions on the east side at one of the local universities so that they could come and watch. That soon ended by the way. Nevermind that ole Paul could build the stadium with all his money but to save money for his many takeover projects of other companies, he got the money from taxpayers. Criticism abounded but ole Paul persevered and got his stadium at taxpayers expense. And we're still paying for it. Soon after, Paul began his buying out of companies spending large amounts of money that proved he could have built the stadium 10-20 times over. Paul Allen sucks and I cherish the day when I open the paper and read of his bankruptcy. See below for a clipping from the local paper in September 1999 for one of many of ole Paul's purchases:

PAUL ALLEN PLANS TO TURN HOSPITAL INTO PROFESSIONAL RECORDING STUDIO

Seattle--Billionaire Paul Allen plans a lavish recording studio complex in London, to be built on the site of an abandoned hospital.

The 60,000-square-foot project, called The Hospital, is the brainchild of Allen and British rock musician and filmmaker Dave Stewart, best known aas a member of the Eurythmics.

The Hospital eventually will include two recording studios, a film-screening room, a photography studio, a members club, executive offices, a restaurant, an art gallery and retail space, an Allen spokesman said.

Unlike Allen's Experience Music Project, the $100 million rock music museum being built in Seattle, The Hospital will be a commercial venture. Experience Music Project is officially nonprofit.

The Hospital also will serve as the base for some community projects for students and artists. Except for the restaurant and gallery space, it largely will be closed to the public.

"Ultimately, The Hospital is a professional facility for musicians and filmmakers," Allen spokesman Jason Hunke said.

The project will be built on the site of an abandoned hospital that Allen owns in the Covent Garden section of London. Originally called St. Paul's Hospital, it has been unused for more than a decade. Stewart lives in the area and steered Allen toward the abandoned building. Allen bought it in 1996.

Portions of the historic building will be retained in the new structure, which will be built over the new two years. construction will begin in a few months, according to Unke, who works for the Allen-owned local company Vulcan Northwest. Another Allen-owned company, the Hosptial Group, is running the London project.

Allen is the co-founder of Microsoft Corp.

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