X Prize Competition Gets New Sponsor, Amended Name

An anonymous reader writes "The X Prize Foundation today announced that entrepreneurs Anousheh Ansari and Amir Ansari have made a multi-million dollar contribution to the X Prize Foundation. As a result, the X Prize Competition is being renamed to the Ansari X Prize Competition." However, the X Prize rules stay the same: "The ANSARI X PRIZE will award $10 million to the first private organization to build and fly a ship that can carry three passengers 100 km (62 miles) into space, return safely to Earth and repeat the launch with the same ship within two weeks. Both flights must be completed by January 1st, 2005."

X Prize?

[Metallic Matty]

You mean, they're changing the name of the porn giveaway? Those bastards.

*blank stare*

Ooooohhhh...

Is the ship more important...

[rd4tech]

The ANSARI X PRIZE will award $10 million to the first private organization to build and fly a ship that can carry three passengers 100 km (62 miles) into space, return safely to Earth and repeat the launch with the same ship within two weeks

What about the passengers? Or they really do care only about the ship :)

Money talks...

[LostCluster]

Sponsors get naming rights on just about everything these days, so it's not surprising the X-Prize wasn't immune... next thing you know somebody's going to buy the rights to put ads on baseball bases.

Wow, interesting.

[LordK3nn3th]

I wonder how test flights would go. Someone tricking their little brother to "step in the SPACESHIP!"

What kind of passengers?

[rms_nz]

fly a ship that can carry three passengers

I notice it doesn't say what kind of passengers - wonder if mice are acceptable?

Loopholes

[AtariAmarok]

As someone already pointed out, it says that the ship has to return safely, not the passengers.

It does not specify if the passengers have to be alive or not. If you send up corpses, it is easier to keep them intact than it is to keep live passengers alive.

Mice? Does not say you can't send them instead of humans.

Re:Increase the prize money and extend the date

[Pidder]

Afterall, if a team ends up finishing late or beaten by another team finishing before them... they'll still have a working reusable orbital spacecraft. That's gotta be useful for something.

Yes definitely. I'm going to use mine to escape earth when the RIAA cracks down on me and travel to one of those rogue travel outposts they have in the movies... or something.

This just in...

[phillymjs]

...the competition is now known as "Pepsi Presents the Ansari X Prize Competition"

(Why, yes, this was an obligatory Simpsons reference, [snpp.com] thank you for noticing!)

~Philly

Re:What kind of passengers?

[rd4tech]

expendable? Just kidding...

Need investors for my idea

[Wasteofspace]

Ok, i think this can be done fairly cheaply I need:- A couple of guys to dig a really big hole. A Really Big flame proof tennis ball to hold the crew. 2 really strong trees (steel poles will suffice) 1 Big rubberband. A guy with good hand eye coordination and a big catchers mitt. Waste

Re:Wow

[glean]

That is exactly what I was thinking. They have no skills, (AFAIK), in this matter, take a competition that seemed of pure intent (unbranded), throw some money at it, and there it is - They are famous for nothing.
You can get your name put on anything for the right price anymore.

I just can't wait for the new Maxwell House Instant Shuttle from NASA.

Cats

[antic]

Cats might be able to survive the fall to Earth? Heh. I'll do some tests and get back to you.*

*JK! I love my cat. He could probably leap up into space. I'm not going to do any tests.

Re:Loopholes

[nomadic]

It's even stricter than that. Rule 5 says "The crew must return to the Earth's surface from both flights in good health as reasonably defined and judged by the X PRIZE Review Board."

That's a good way to avoid paying.

Successful Cosmonaut: Hi, I successfully piloted to outer space and back. I'm here for my 10 million.

X Prize Review Board Member: Uhh...sorry, you have to be in good health.

Cosmonaut: What? I'm in perfect health. The mission went off without a hitch.

Board Member: No, you definitely look a little peaked. And let me feel your forehead...Ah, yes, you're burning up.

Cosmonaut: No, I'm fine, I've never felt better.

Board Member: You're at death's door. No prize for you.

Fine then.

[raehl]

I'm proud to announce the Raehl X Prize. First person to drink a gallon of milk in an hour gets 10 bucks.

Re:What happend to the insurance policy?

[raehl]

The organizational imperative is to survive and stay viable.

No, that's the reproductive imparitive. The organizational imparative is to pay large retention bouses when you go bankrupt.

Re:What kind of passengers?

[Anonymous Coward]

Mice, being pan-dimensional beings do not require a ship for space travel.

The first team to make it gets the Ansari prize

[Zabu]

The first to miss gets the Darwin awards.

Re:Wow

[Anonymous Coward]

the new Maxwell House Instant Shuttle

Good to the last drop?

Re:Let the marketing drones call it what they want

[Geoffreyerffoeg]

Money for anyone who can once and for all get my X Window configuration files working.

There, now there's another X prize.

Roddenberry's "on board"

[potus98]

"RODDENBERRY JOINS X PRIZE ADVISORY COMMITTEE"

I see where this is heading: Gene's son joins the team so he can get close to the launch site. He climbs some scafolding just as that Alaskan sheriff is about to board the ship (Contact). Instead of blowing everything up, Gene Jr. jumps onto said Sheriff with a big bear hug and ends up on board the ship (ST:IV:TVH). They slingshot around the Sun (ibid) where they go back to October of 1955 (BTTF). They steal Doc's DeLorean, drive into the future at 88 mph to San Francisco's UFP HQ. Since money is no longer an issue, they easily win an antique British phone box off of eBay, make some slight mods, and time/space warp back to 2004 (Dr.W)

Unfortunately, at the end of this spectacular journey, Gene Jr. was mistakenly wearing a red shirt. We all know what happens to the red shirts. [fanspace.com] :-(

Wow. I'm disappointed!

[McCrapDeluxe]

First the Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize whore themselves out, and now the X-Prize.

Re:Loopholes

[mcrbids]

That's a good way to avoid paying.

Successful Cosmonaut: Hi, I successfully piloted to outer space and back. I'm here for my 10 million.

X Prize Review Board Member: Uhh...sorry, you have to be in good health.

Cosmonaut: What? I'm in perfect health. The mission went off without a hitch.

Board Member: No, you definitely look a little peaked. And let me feel your forehead...Ah, yes, you're burning up.

Cosmonaut: No, I'm fine, I've never felt better.

Board Member: You're at death's door. No prize for you.

I thought of this. Couldn't help it. (ducks, prepares for loss of karma)

Bring out your dead!
CUSTOMER: Here's one.
CART MASTER: Ninepence.
DEAD PERSON: I'm not dead!
CART MASTER: What?
CUSTOMER: Nothing. Here's your ninepence.
DEAD PERSON: I'm not dead!
CART MASTER: 'Ere. He says he's not dead!
CUSTOMER: Yes, he is.
DEAD PERSON: I'm not!
CART MASTER: He isn't?
CUSTOMER: Well, he will be soon. He's very ill.
DEAD PERSON: I'm getting better!
CUSTOMER: No, you're not. You'll be stone dead in a moment.
CART MASTER: Oh, I can't take him like that. It's against regulations.
DEAD PERSON: I don't want to go on the cart!
CUSTOMER: Oh, don't be such a baby.
CART MASTER: I can't take him.
DEAD PERSON: I feel fine!
CUSTOMER: Well, do us a favour.
CART MASTER: I can't.
CUSTOMER: Well, can you hang around a couple of minutes? He won't be long.
CART MASTER: No, I've got to go to the Robinsons'. They've lost nine today.
CUSTOMER: Well, when's your next round?
CART MASTER: Thursday.
DEAD PERSON: I think I'll go for a walk.
CUSTOMER: You're not fooling anyone, you know. Look. Isn't there something you can do?
DEAD PERSON: [singing]
I feel happy. I feel happy.
[whop]
CUSTOMER: Ah, thanks very much.
CART MASTER: Not at all. See you on Thursday.
CUSTOMER: Right. All right.
[howl]
[clop clop clop]
Who's that, then?
CART MASTER: I dunno. Must be a king.
CUSTOMER: Why?
CART MASTER: He hasn't got shit all over him.

Re:Increase the prize money and extend the date

[delibes]

In space, no one can hear you stream... Sorry!

Re:Yes, they'll be visible

[The Ultimate Fartkno]

e) Rain delays = Kirsten Dunst runs onfield in that pink shirt = best. ratings. EVAR!

Re:Following the money

[The Wannabe King]

The basic science of missiles is understood - the science of the X-Prize is on developing a re-usable vehicle that can make multiple trips within a couple of weeks. I'm not an expert, but I'd be surprised if X-Prize technology ends up getting used in ICBM's.

The reuse of ICBM's could enable us to wage global nuclear war in a more environmental friendly and economical way. Oh, wait...