>But I think it's not all bad news!.... In England, Steve Bennett's NOVA rocket, regardless if it launches
>the first British male into space, will be the first 'amateur' rocket to reach space [100km+ up]; an unmanned,
>fully-fueled testflight of NOVA is imminent.

I would put more money on Ky Michaelson getting the first 'amateur' rocket to 100km+, rather than Bennett. NOVA isn't going anywhere near 100km.

I am actively putting a fairly large amount of money into Armadillo, under the assumption that none of the other contenders will be able to build an X-Prize class vehicle ahead of us.

I give Bennett more credit than many people do -- he has built and launched a sizable structure, which is more than most people can claim, but I don't think he is all that close to a vehicle that can scale to space shot performance.

I am far more excited by the progress that XCOR has made (yes, I am an investor in XCOR, so I am somewhat biased).

John Carmack
www.armadilloaerospace.com