SpaceShipOne donated to Smithsonian

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<b>Private spaceship joins aviation pioneers in museum</b><br /><br />Full story at: http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/space/10/06/spaceship.one.ap/index.html<br /><br /><i>WASHINGTON (AP) -- The first private space ship took its place Wednesday next to Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis, a hoped-for symbol of a new era of space tourism alongside the icon of trans-Atlantic flight.<br /><br />SpaceShipOne's designer, Burt Rutan, and its financier, Microsoft Corp. co-founder Paul Allen, were on hand as the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum took ownership of the 28-foot star-spangled spacecraft.<br /><br />A year ago, Rutan and Allen captured the $10 million Ansari X Prize when SpaceShipOne dashed to the edge of space twice. The prize was aimed at encouraging space tourism through the development of low-cost private spacecraft.<br /><br />Rutan told several hundred visitors in the building's giant lobby that he was pleased the Smithsonian so quickly recognized the importance of SpaceShipOne.<br /><br />"I knew that the significance would be known and understood by everyone in 10 years," said Rutan, 62. "I'm extremely pleased to see it here this early."<br /><br />Like many space entrepreneurs, Rutan thinks the private sector can do what NASA cannot: inspire tomorrow's astronauts and scientists by offering them the real promise of a trip to space.<br /><br />NASA is phasing out the space shuttle and instead plans to return to the moon, for $104 billion over 13 years. It is a plan Rutan dismisses.<br /><br />"We'll go back to the moon by not learning anything new," Rutan said.<br /><br />He envisions a day in the not-too-distant future when resort hotels orbit the earth and offer excursions around the moon.<br /><br />Federal Aviation Administration chief Marian Blakey shares his optimism.<br /><br />"I don't expect it will be too long before we can all book an aisle seat 62 mi</i> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <strong><font color="#3366ff">Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild.</font> - <font color="#3366ff"><em>Tennyson</em></font></strong> </div>