Best way to get more funding: blow up a rocket on TV!

In a radio interview, X PRIZE team Space Transport's co-founder talks about how the Rubicon 1 launch failure actually brought in investors. Apparently these people had heard of STC through the TV or Web and wanted to help out.. He said that a person in Britain contacted them and invested enough money for them to conduct a second flight on September 12. Interesting, to say the least...
According to STC's website, the team has received over $24,000 since the failure of Rubicon 1.

You know it's probably not a bad idea for the X-Prize teams to consider putting up PayPal donation buttons. Definitely something to think about in my opinion.

Some of them already have, STC for example:

http://www.xprizenews.org/index.php?p=409

In fact, not only does blowing up a rocket give you TV exposure, it gives you lots of junk you can sell on EBay! Space Transport sold the mangled capsule of their rocket for $500.

A short remark only because I realized it right now: It would have a welcoming sid-effect.. Ebay-customers this way will get notice of the XPRIZE the perhaps never else might be heard of. They will get notice of the private spcecraft firms which will nicrease the number of potential customers of theier space travel activities. The whole concept, the whole thing will become much more known to the general public. And the buyers will have exciting direct touch to XPRIZE and private space travels.

Very helpful I think.



Dipl.-Volkswirt (bdvb) Augustin

Hmmmm, not sure of the exposure that it would bring. There arent too many items bein sold by the teams, not enough to create a significant possibility of random people seeing them. I think most of the people that will come across the items are people that are already interested in space and looking for the items on purpose. Thats just IMHO though...

well, who else but people interested in space will buy space related memorabilia?