"Christopher M. Jones" wrote:

Derek Lyons wrote:
Joe Strout wrote:
Hot damn! The X-Prize will be won in less than three weeks. This will
be a historic occasion.

Nope. The June 21 attempt will not meet the requirements of an
X-Prize flight.

Perhaps it's just sloppy wording on your part but this is
an incorrect statement. The X-Prize involves two flights,
if the June 21st flight is the first of a pair of flights
meeting the X-Prize requirements then it would indeed be
an X-Prize flight. Aside from the flying within two weeks
criterion, the flight certainly looks to meet all the other
X-Prize requirements.

From http://xprize.com/teams/guidelines.html :
6. Entrants must specify and provide the ANSARI X PRIZE Rules
Committee with their take-off and landing location, and the date of
their launch, not less than 30 days prior to any flight attempt.

So, unless the X-Prize commitee has kept the notification secret, they
don't meet the requirements.

Also, the press release does not mention whether or not ballast will
be carried as required by the rules.

Also, the press release states that "Based on the success of the June
space flight attempt, SpaceShipOne will later compete for the Ansari X
Prize,", leading me to conclude that this flight is not part of the
competition.

D.
--
Touch-twice life. Eat. Drink. Laugh.