【Scenario】
TheformalestablishmentoftheX-Prizecertainlyhaditsdesiredeffect.Allofasudden,engineeringteamswereestablishedallovertheplace.Promisingly,manyoftheseteamshadnewandnovelideasonhowtoactuallyachievesuborbitalflightandsomeverycreativeproductdesignprojectssprungtolife.
【MainText】
OneofthefirstpeopletosignuptocompetefortheX-PrizewasCalifornianaircraftdesignerBurtRutanwhowasfamousfordesigningVoyager,thefirstairplanetoflyaroundtheworldwithoutlandingorrefueling.
"IhavedreamtaboutmakingahomebuiltspacecrafteversinceI'vebeendoinghomebuiltairplanes,butIhaveneverbeenmyself,ascreativeasIhavebeeninthelastcoupleofmonths,eyeballingthisgoldarnedprize.AndI'mnotgoingtotellyouwhatI'vecomeupwithbecauseIwanttowinthisthing.ButIamgoingtotellyouthatI'mnottheonlyonethat'sgoingtobecreative."
—BurtRutan
BurtRutanhailedfromthesmalltownofDinuba,Californiawhereheandhisbrotherhadgrownupdreamingaboutflyingairplanes.Thesonofadentist,Rutanhadflownsoloinanairplaneassoonashelegallycouldatage16.HehadearnedadegreeinaeronauticsfromCaliforniaPolytechnicin1965andhadfoundworkasacivilianflighttestengineeratEdwardsAirForceBasewherehewasresponsiblefordevelopingflightproceduresfortheF-4Phantomfighter-bomber.Inhissparetime,BurtRutandesignedandthenstartedbuildingkitsetsforapropeller-drivenaircraftwhichhadtheagilityandresponsivenessofafighterjet.TheplanecalledtheVariViggenfeaturedasmallsetofsecondarywingsatthefrontcalledacanard.In1974,RutansetupasmallbusinesscalledRutanAircraftFactoryatadesertedmilitaryair-portlocatedintheMojaveDesertwherehecouldbuildprototypestotesthisdesignsandsellplansandkitsetstoaspiringhomeaircraftbuildersacrosstheUnitedStates.
Intheprocessoflearninghowtodesignandmakehomebuiltairplanes,Rutancameacrossanewandnovelmanufacturingprocesswhichinvolvedlayinglayersoffiberglassoverfoamthathadbeenmoldedandcutintothedesiredshape.Thesecompositestructureswereexceptionallystrongandyetcouldbereadilyreshaped,addedtoorremoved.Thisproductionmethodwasalsofast—itrequiredonlyaboutone-quarterofthetimewhichwouldberequiredtobuildthesamepartswithmetal.Rutandesignedanewplane,theVariEze,whichtookadvantageofthismanufacturingprocessandwhichcouldbemadeforaround$5,000to$9,000dependingonhowmanypartsyouboughtprebuilt.Bytheendofthe1970s,RutanAircraftFactorywasswampedwiththousandsoforders.