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Museum of Flight Event with Author Julian Guthrie and XPRIZE Spaceflight Luminaries

An evening panel and reception with XPRIZE participants Peter Diamondis, Erik Lindbergh and Brian Binnie on “The Road to SpaceShipOne”

SEATTLE – The Museum will host a reception and panel with best-selling author Julian Guthrie, who will discuss her new book about the Ansari XPRIZE competition, “How to Make a Spaceship: A Band of Renegades, an Epic Race, and the Birth of Private Spaceflight.”

SpaceShipOne replica on display at The Museum of Flight in 2008.
SpaceShipOne replica on display at The Museum of Flight in 2008.
Joining Guthrie will be three major figures in the story, Ansari XPRIZE founder Peter Diamondis, cofounder Erik Lindbergh, and Brian Binnie, pilot of Ansari XPRIZE-winning SpaceShipOne. The program runs from 5:30 to 8 p.m. under a full-scale replica of SpaceShipOne hanging in the Charles Simonyi Space Gallery. Tickets are $10 (with early bird sales through Sept. 16th). Tickets online.

Media: Members of the media may contact the Museum PR office for free admission plus one guest.

Schedule:
5:30-6:30 p.m. Reception with hors d’oeuvres and cash bar
6:30-7:30 p.m. Panel discussion
7:30-8 p.m. Book signings. Books will be available on-site for purchase throughout the evening.

Ansari XPRISE Background
Funded by the Ansari family, the Ansari XPRIZE challenged teams from around the world to build a reliable, reusable, privately financed, manned spaceship capable of carrying three people to 100 kilometers above the Earth’s surface twice within two weeks. The prize was won by the SpaceShipOne team with its final flight on Oct. 4, 2004.

Guthrie’s book tells the story of a cast of characters who dreamed of getting to space without the government’s help. This cast includes aviators, test pilots, engineering school dropouts, NASA retirees, billionaires, and a particularly determined space geek who refused to give up on his outsized dream. The event is presented with the University of Washington School of Engineering.

Books will be available on-site for purchase throughout the evening.

For Museum information, please call 206-764-5720 or visit www.museumofflight.org