Space Adventures + Armadillo Aerospace = Virgin’s Competition?

You know things are heating up in the Space Tourism arena when you see new joint ventures like this. I did not realize Armadillo’s tech has matured enough to carry people.  Space Adventure’s forté is marketing, and they do it well.  But can they beat the caché of Virgin Galactic?

Space Tourism Firm to Offer Suborbital Joy Rides at Lower Costs

http://www.space.com/news/space-tourism-new-deal-100430.html

Source:  space.com

Man versus machine, for three points

San Francisco 49ers kicker Joe Nedney and a Ziggy, a RoboGames robot, attempt to kick field goals simultaneously in a man-versus-machine competition Monday in San Francisco. (Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET)

Our friends at RoboGames know how to market themselves. They recently got on the cover of the San Francisco Chronicle and CNET. San Francisco 49ers kicker Joe Nedney and Ziggy, a RoboGames champion battle robot, attempt to kick field goals simultaneously in a man-versus-machine competition Monday in San Francisco.

Ziggy, a 340 pound power lifter, is famous for flinging its opponents across the combots arena. Nedney, a veteran kicker, easily bested his mechanical competitor. But it was fun to watch.

CNET article:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-20002856-52.html?tag=rtcol

SF Chronicle article:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/04/20/MNCV1CVIV4.DTL