On Fri, 19 Dec 2003 17:21:46 -0800 (PST), in a place far, far away,
(Derek Lyons) made the phosphor on my
monitor glow in such a way as to indicate that:

You decided *characteristically* to stick with the unsupported
delusion that the X-Prize has anything to do with space access.

I've supported it many times. I'm sorry you have trouble
comprehending it.

No, you haven't really supported it. You've spread the unfounded
assumption that space development should be like aviation development
was. (Except aviation development really wasn't.)

You've spread the notion that the little guy will succeed where the
big guy can't. (Demonstrably true in some things, demonstrably false
in others, undemonstrated in space access.)

You've rested your case on the unfounded assumption that a suborbital
thrill ride will somehow induce capital to the much more demanding
arena of orbital flight. (Never mind that no other form of transport
has ever attempted such a leap.)

That's an interesting misstatement of the case, but it's no more than
I expected.