Daily Archives: 6/18/2004

Armadillo Scores Test Liftoff Success In Bid For X Prize

Armadillo Aerospace LaunchI woke up this morning with a bit of indigestion (when you are used to a rather spartan diet low in fats, the occasional indulgence doesn’t settle very well) and found Armadillo Scores Test Liftoff Success In Bid For X Prize, along with video of a vertical take off and landing for their test vehicle. Awesome.

It’s going to be a big week for the X-Prize. Burt Rutan and Paul Allen’s SpaceShipOne is scheduled to launch this weekend on a suborbital flight that will reach an altitude of 62 miles and carry an astronaut. Best wishes for a safe and successful launch.

I’m toying with the idea of blowing off a weekend of work and driving down to the Mojave Desert to see the launch. You only get a few chances in your life when you are forewarned of history in the making, and this very well might be one of them. I’ll do some research and see what the viewing opportunities are. If I don’t go, I’ll try to harvest some good video from websources after the launch.