We need affordable space travel to inspire our youth, to let them know that they can experience their dreams, can set significant goals and be in a position to lead all of us to future progress in exploration, discovery and fun. Thanks to the X Prize for the inspiration.
Burt RutanI like to call the difference between research and development. Some people use that interchangeably. They'll say R&D. They're two totally different things.
Burt RutanThere was a wonderful little short four-year time period when marvelous things happened. It started in 1908, when the Wright brothers flew in Paris, and everybody said, 'Ooh, hey, I can do that.' There's only a few people that have flown in early 1908. In four years, 39 countries had hundreds of airplanes, thousands of pilots.
Burt RutanOur goal is to show that you can develop a robust, safe manned space program and do it at an extremely low cost.
Burt RutanAchieving something that has never existed in manned spaceflight and that is high volume and public access.
Burt RutanI drove an electric car for seven years because of its advanced technology, not because I have any concerns about energy resources. I have none at all. And when environmentalists say that global warming is dangerous, unprecedented and that we'll have a tipping point for atmospheric carbon dioxide, it's just nonsense.
Burt Rutan