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it sounds like science fiction. rocket propelled jets racing across the sky at hundreds of miles per hour, while millions of fans watch and cheer at home and in stadiums all across the world.
well, for now it is, but if peter diamandis, founder of the aerospace ansari x prize, has his way, it will be a reality by late next year.
diamandis unveiled the rocket racing league, a strange hybrid of nascar and nasa, at a ceremony monday in new york as its co-founder and chairman.
"for me, it is a remembrance of sort of 'star wars' pod racing," said diamandis, referring to the rocket race portrayed in 1999's "star wars: episode i -- the phantom menace."
diamandis hopes to hold an exhibition event with four so-called x-racer planes in october of 2006. the project aims to "inspire people of all ages to once again look up into the sky and find inspiration and excitement," the wild eyed entrepreneur said in a statement.
the hour long races are set to include a dramatic x-racer liftoff allowing fans to follow each rocket plane by tracking their 20-foot exhaust plumes and watching large-screen tvs.
streaming multi-angle video would be available from each aircraft, showing cockpit, "on-track" and "side-by-side" and wing-angle views. fans also would be able to track races by using hand-held gps devices connected to wifi systems.
the rocket planes will have a liquid oxygen/kerosene fuel mix, calculated to have a burn time of four minutes, requiring pilots to shut down their engines repeatedly and glide, then restart to pass opponents at up to 300 mph.
the race course would be two miles long, a mile wide and about 5,000 feet high.
this might make baseball season bearable again
xxoozero
cnn
