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A Brief, Private Trip into Space

A small company funded by Microsoft billionaire Paul Allen will attempt to send a person into space aboard a vehicle called SpaceShipOne. It's one of more than 20 groups competing for a $10 million prize for the first non-governmental manned space flight. NPR's David Kestenbaum reports.

The rules for the X Prize are simple: Send a privately funded vehicle with three people aboard up 62.5 miles, return them safely to Earth, then repeat the feat with the same ship within two weeks. The reward, aimed at jump-starting a space tourism industry, expires at the end of this year.

Next Monday, Scaled Composites, a small company in the California desert will attempt to send SpaceShipOne into suborbital space. "If all goes as planned, SpaceShipOne will just poke its nose into space; then gravity will quickly pull it back to Earth," Kestenbaum reports.

SpaceShipOne is the brainchild of aeronautics entrepreneur Burt Rutan, whose Voyager aircraft in 1986 completed the first flight around the world without refueling.

A rocket plane about the size of an oversized car, SpaceShipOne begins flight strapped to the belly of another airplane, then disconnects, fires a rocket engine and heads up. In May, the vehicle reached an altitude of 40 miles. Monday's goal will be 60 miles.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

David Kestenbaum is a correspondent for NPR, covering science, energy issues and, most recently, the global economy for NPR's multimedia project Planet Money. David has been a science correspondent for NPR since 1999. He came to journalism the usual way — by getting a Ph.D. in physics first.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.