| Archive for TomboT www.tombot.net Beam robotics @ liverpool university |
| JennyBond |
X-Prize man launches rocket race
Peter Diamandis, the man behind the $10m X-Prize for suborbital space travel, has brought forward his new initiative: the Rocket Racing League. The RRL will see Grand Prix-style races between rocket planes, flown by top pilots through a "3D trackway" just 5,000ft (1,500m) above the ground. 
The first "X-Racers" will be built for the series, but it is hoped new teams will soon enter with novel designs. Events will be staged across the US, culminating in a final in New Mexico. Dr Diamandis says the RRL's mission, much like the Ansari-sponsored X-Prize, is to serve as a technology accelerator. He wants it to speed up development in the areas of airframe, propulsion and spacecraft design. The concept behind the league may remind people of the pod races in The Phantom Menace, the first of the Star Wars prequels. 
"The Rocket Racing League will inspire people of all ages to once again look up into the sky to find inspiration and excitement," said Dr Diamandis, who holds the position of chairman in RRL. "New aerospace technologies coupled with the spirit of competition will not only extend the boundaries of entertainment, but continue the public's appetite for space ignited a year ago when the Ansari X-Prize was awarded." 
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| admin |
Cool That sounds so cool... imagine if they start offering that as a "Gift Experience" that you can buy from Argos!!
Sounds a bit dangerous though... but if I were to die in any way, that would be top of my list! |