Ex Cunabula ad Astra

It looks like Paul Allen is getting together with Virgin Atlantic to form a venture that will provide private spaceflights by 2008. (hat tip: VodkaPundit) Paul Allen is the money behind Space Ship One, about to attempt the X-Prize. In other words, humanity is on the verge of venturing from the Earth's cradle into space to stay - out of the cradle, endlessly orbiting - and it will largely be due to one man's efforts - as most great advances usually are. So any time you are thinking of bashing Microsoft (which I often do, as well), at least keep in mind what it has enabled.

UPDATE: And a follow-on prize: $50 million for getting a 7-person orbital machine by the end of the decade. Excellent!

UPDATE: Virgin Galactic's web site.