Paul Allen sees space tourism in our future

[icymist]

Wednesday, June 16, 2004 - Page updated at 12:00 A.M.

Paul Allen sees space tourism in our future

By Andrew Garber
Seattle Times staff reporter

Billionaire Paul Allen says he "sure wouldn't mind" taking a ride someday in the spaceship he paid to have built in the California desert.

"But you have to understand, you have test pilots flying this thing right now," the co-founder of Microsoft said. "You want to prove out these things and use it many times before you'd want to have passengers on board."

Space tourism "is around the corner, but it's not here yet," Allen, 51, said in a rare interview.

On Monday, Allen's rocket ship, called SpaceShipOne, is expected to attempt to reach sub-orbital space. If successful, it would be the first private, manned spaceship to leave the earth's atmosphere.

More at this

[bill]

1. Godspeed Rutan and Allen

I love this quote: "In terms of sheer coolness, few things beat
rocketry." - Paul Allen B-)

[THUNDER HANDS]

2. space

the final frontier - for rich people.

[NashVegas]

4. great minds ..

..

I keep thinking of the old James Bond movie, Moonraker.

[NashVegas]

3. Space: The Final Frontier

Where you'll never have to see poor people.

[daleo]

5. I have been hearing this for at least 30 years (space tourism)

I don't know whether the state (or military-industrial complex) will ever give up its monopoly on space flight. Imagine what this would do to the Ballistic Missile Defense idea (not that I am in favor of that).

[oscar111]

6. tax cuts = flights = hmless dead

The Allen fortune is due to nontaxing. That also led to homelessness upsurge.

$4 billion would end homelessness,,,, and if barracks used, a paltry 200 million dollars would end it all each year.

Is Allen's idea to spend over $200 million? What a 2-yr-old level of thinking.

[democracyindanger]

8. Barracks?

Ah, so you want to put all the homeless in camps. Brilliant.

[HuckleB]

7. F*&^ Paul Allen!

This guy's a scumbag from the word go. Creator of the greatest rip-off know to mankind: Ticketmaster. "Businessman" who uses Chapter 11 to get out of losses from some businesses, while still making billions elsewhere. The man who turned the most beloved NBA team into the most hated. The man who conned King County into paying for two ridiculously expensive sports stadiums, so he can reap the benefits. This guy is a drain on the rest of us. Don't support any Paul Allen business. Please.

[democracyindanger]

9. Allen is not Whitsitt

Concering one point of yours, that is. ;)

[HuckleB]

12. He paid the bills, he hired the guy, he wouldn't fire the guy.

He still employs the guy in Seattle. So there's really no difference between the two, if you ask me.

[Tight_rope]

11. Let's not forget AOL! The internet provider you can't get rid of unless

you close your bank account or cancel your credit card.

[depakid]

13. That PoS Paul Allen owns KXL

Home to Lars Larson, Bill O'Reilly and Micheal Savage.

I'll never spend another nickle to support his enteprises-

And how he can possibly be in Chapter 11 over the Rose Quarter is beyond me. If I were the judge in that case, I'd be watching their every move to make sure that scumbag dots every "i" and crosses every "t."

That man really is a community parasite.

[Tight_rope]

10. So the rich want to go to the moon after destoying earth. n/t

[saigon68]

14. He's got the money