This really is a terrific day. SpaceShipOne flew to 368,000 feet (69.7 miles and 7 miles higher than the requirement) for the second time in five days, winning the Ansari X Prize. This really could mark the beginnings of private space travel — albeit still for the wealthy, and not any time soon as a commodity.
But that shouldn’t detract from the real accomplishment made by Burt Rutan, and pilots Michael Melvill and Brian Binnie. Congratulations!
