Space ship one and the one and the X Prize this week on planetary radio. Welcome everyone to Public Radio's travel show that takes you to the solar system

and beyond. I'm Matt Kaplan.

We want to extend a special welcome to our new listeners in Ocean City, Maryland, where

WSDL has just added planetary radio to its schedule. We hope you'll be with us every week. And what a way to get started.

It's the morning of October 4, 2004, and history has just been made high above California's Mojave Desert.

Here is Space Shuttle astronaut Rick Serfoss.

So in my official capacity is the chief judge of the Ansari X Prize competition, I declare that Mojave Aerospace Ventures

has indeed earned the Ansari X Prize. We've truly entered a new space age, one that will be defined by the art of the impossible,

not of the art of the politically possible.

I look forward to, after a little bit of partying with everyone else, and a little bit of pondering what this really

means to us, to rolling up my sleeves with everyone else and bringing the opportunity for

those many, many thousands of people more.

The rest of you, but I want to get up there to experience what Brian and Mike and I have experienced to have that chance.

So thank you. Thank you very much Peter for giving me the opportunity to witness and verify history in the making.

Congratulations to everyone. opportunity to witness and verify history in the making.

Congratulations to everyone.

Of course, Mike and Brian are Mike Melville and Brian Binnie.

The test pilots turned astronauts who flew Bert Rutan spaceship one into history.

Stay with us as we relive and reconsider their accomplishment on this special edition of Planetary Radio.

Space Headlines and Emily Loch Duwala's Q&A will return next week. Mike Melville made the first of the two flights required to win the $10 million

X Prize. Just as he had in last June's test mission, Mike flew spaceship one to 100 kilometers or about 62 miles.

This is the somewhat arbitrary but well-accepted border between Earth and space.

...