| 20 May 1998
NEWS RELEASE: CONTACT: (Washington, DC) -- May 19 -- This Wednesday, May 20, the National Space Society will host a Yahoo! Chat with X PRIZE Foundation chairman, Peter Diamandis, X PRIZE competitor, Michael Kelly, and NASA Associate Administrator, Alan Ladwig, following an announcement made earlier that day by the Foundation regarding a space-related sweepstakes. Webchat guests will discuss the announcement, the X PRIZE competition, and the future of space tourism. The webchat will take place on Wednesday from 9:00 - 10:00 pm ET (6:00 - 7:00 pm PT) at <http://chat.yahoo.com>. "This webchat will give the public almost immediate access to several people who will be among the day's newsmakers," said Robert Pearlman, NSS Online Programs Director. "The Society, which represents 23,000 space enthusiasts, is proud to present this webchat as a service to our members and the general public. The chat will help answer their questions and raise excitement about the morning's announcement." More information about the chat, including biographies and photographs of the guests, is available at the National Space Society's website at <http://www.nss.org/xprize>. The site will also include a transcript of the May 20 chat within 48 hours following the event. The X PRIZE Foundation will award a $10 Million prize to the first pioneer who privately finances and builds a spaceship that can carry three adults on a 62-mile sub-orbital space flight. Patterned after the Orteig International Prize, which was won 70 years ago by Charles Lindbergh in his solo flight from New York to Paris, the X PRIZE is to challenge the best engineers and innovators to build a spacecraft that eventually could be used to develop a commercial space transportation and tourism industry. The National Space Society, founded in 1974, is an independent, nonprofit space advocacy organization headquartered in Washington, DC. Its 23,000 members and 90 chapters around the world actively promote a spacefaring civilization. Information on NSS and space exploration is available at <http://www.nss.org/>. NOTE: The next issue of NSS's magazine, Ad Astra, will be a special report on space tourism, including an update on the X PRIZE competition. Reporters interested in receiving a copy should contact Karen Rugg at 202-543-1900 or krugg@nss.org. |
