] A privately developed spacecraft rocketed a solo pilot to
] the edge of space on Thursday, as part of ongoing
] preparations for its first full space flight.
]
] SpaceCraftOne, flown by 62-year-old Mike Melvill, reached
] altitude of 65,000 metres at about 1600 GMT. The altitude
] is a new record for a private vehicle. NASA awards
] astronaut status to anyone who reaches an altitude of 50
] miles (80,500 metres).

[ As much bad shit as happens in the world, isn't it an exciting time to be alive!

This is the team (as abaddon pointed out to me) that's funded primarily by Paul Allen, and led by famed aerospace engineer Burt Rutan. It's hard to argue that these guys will take the X-prize... they're *way* ahead of the competition. As cool as Carmack's H202 powered vehicle is, i don't see it getting to space anytime soon. -k]

Private rocket ship sets altitude record