Future of Manned Sub-orbital Spaceflight
Private companies such as Virgin Galactic, XCOR, Armadillo Aerospace, Blue Origin and Masten Space Systems are taking an interest in sub-orbital spaceflight, due in part to ventures like the Ansari X Prize. NASA and others are experimenting with scramjet based hypersonic aircraft which may well be used with flight profiles that qualify as sub-orbital spaceflight. In addition, the VSS Enterprise is expected to begin manned sub-orbital flights starting in 2012, as is XCOR's Lynx (spacecraft). Non-profit entities like ARCASPACE and Copenhagen Suborbitals also attempt rocket-based launches.
Read more about this topic: Sub-orbital Spaceflight
Famous quotes containing the words future of and/or future:
“It is given to few to add the store of knowledge, to strike new springs of thought, or to shape new forms of beauty. But so sure as it is that men live not by bread, but by ideas, so sure is it that the future of the world lies in the hands of those who are able to carry the interpretation of nature a step further than their predecessors.”
—Thomas Henry Huxley (1825–95)
“We simply must have faith in each other, faith in our ability to govern ourselves, and faith in the future of this Nation. Restoring that faith and that confidence to America is now the most important task we face.”
—Jimmy Carter (James Earl Carter, Jr.)