TWO years ago next month space travel underwent its Wright-brothers moment
"First, the money. So far, more than $1 billion is known to have been committed to building private spaceships and the infrastructure to support them. For example, Mr Rutan's follow-up vehicle, SpaceShipTwo, is expected to cost its backers, Virgin Galactic, $240m for a fleet of five. The spaceport in New Mexico from which these are intended to fly will account for another $225m, although New Mexico's government is planning to raise this money itself."
http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=6911220
[linked from http://www.transterrestrial.com/]