SpaceShipOne has won the $10 million Ansari X prize. On 4 October, the craft landed safely at Mojave, California, after becoming the first privately financed vehicle to reach the edge of space twice within a week. Preliminary radar data showed SpaceShipOne climbed to an altitude of about 112 kilometres, surpassing the record for a sub-orbital flight set by the experimental X-15 aircraft more than 40 years ago.
But the real prize is the space tourism market. For SpaceShipOne to be used to carry tourists, it will have to be deemed safe. On its 29 September flight the craft rolled wildly…
