] "The Ansari X Prize is stimulating the re-examination of ] a premise that has gone almost unchallenged for decades - ] that 'rocket science' can only be undertaken by ] governments and corporations with billions of dollars at ] their disposal," Carmack points out on the X Prize web ] site. "It doesn't have to be that way, because we have ] advantages at our disposal today that no government on ] earth had at the beginning of the space age - the amazing ] advances in electronics, computerized manufacturing ] processes, in-place space assets like GPS and satellite ] data systems, and, of course, several decades of ] hindsight. I expect people to remain skeptical, but an ] existence proof will change the conversation completely." [ That's why X Prize was created, and I agree wholeheartedly on this... this gonna be huge. -k] Armadillo Scores Test Liftoff Success In Bid For X Prize |