X-Prize and beyond

Wow so someone actually won the X-prize. I always kind of assumed that it was asymptotic. I never actually believed anyone would win the thing. I guess thats just one more reason why it wasn't me! Very cool. But another winner is appearing as well. Richard Branson. He has started to push his Virgin Galactic idea with some very neat marketing. For instance just watch the first flight video, as SS1 starts to reconfigure the engines for re-entry whose logo is plastered all over the focus of our attention? Ohh and whose flapping hair is that I see next to Rutan in the main photo on the Scaled Composites website? But what I can't get over is how, for once the roles are reversed. I mean the real innovation for this is largely an all American deal. However, for the moment at least, it looks like the exploitation could be British! I can't believe that for once we might actually exploit someone elses idea instead of the usual situation where a clever British innovation is exploited by a foreign industry. Go Richard.