"X"-STATIC!: SpaceShipOne soars to XPrize Win

Nearly ten years ago when XPrize Founder Peter Diamandes and the Dallas-based Ansari family offered $10 Million dollars for the first privately funded rocket to make two sub-orbital space flights of 62 miles above the earth, no one really thought it would happen. But Americans are used to achieving a manned space flight goal in under a decade.

This morning, in the skies above the Mojave desert in California, Burt Rutan's SpaceShipOne soared into space for the second time in less than a week and laid claim to the coveted XPrize and to it's rightful place in the history books.

And with Virgin Billionaire Richard Branson already announcing the purchase of 5 more SS1s for Virgin Galactic's space tourism venture, the trail has been successfully blazed for anyone with the dream and about $100,000 to experience the Right Stuff for themselves. And that's uber cool.

Look for this bad boy to have a prominent place in the Smith soon.


HOW STUFF WORKS: SPACESHIP ONE