Dancer painting

Dancer painting
field painting
The flight is an important step toward winning the Ansari X Prize, a $10 million award for the first privately financed three-seat spacecraft to reach an altitude of 62 miles and repeat the feat within two weeks. Promoters hope that Monday's milestone and others will lead to a future where tourists will pay perhaps $20,000 to $100,000 for the opportunity to soar above the Earth's atmosphere, float in zero gravity and take in the sights. "The door to space is finally open to the rest of us," said George Whitesides, executive director of the National Space Society, which is wants to see space travel opened to people from all walks of life. He said the team members "have proven that human spaceflight is no longer the realm of governments alone." The SpaceShipOne project was funded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, who said the project cost more than $20 million. "I had my heart in my throat when I watched the launch," Allen said.