Is Stratolaunch the Next Spruce Goose?

What\'s the Latest Development? Microsoft co-creator and billionaire Paul Allen recently announced his plan to create a revolutionary airplane, dubbed Stratolaunch, capable of launching rockets into space but now questions are being raised about the project\'s feasibility. \"\'I don\'t know that it\'s a better way\' to launch payloads,\" said former NASA administrator Mike Griffin. \"It\'s an approach which offers some very substantial operational flexibility, much reduced range requirements, freedom from a lot of the limitations that come from launching with land-based ranges.\" What\'s the Big Idea? If a giant revolutionary airplane can be made—the wingspan of Stratolaunch is longer than a football field—Allen\'s team may be up to the task. Combining his personal wealth with Griffin\'s advice and the engineering skills of Burt Rutan, the famed engineer who won the $10-million Ansari X PRIZE for designing what would become Richard Branson\'s space tourism vehicle, a veritable dream team for space entrepreneurship has been created. Allen views the decrease of the government\'s space budget as an opportunity for private investment.