>>>Dude.
>>>
>>>That's pathetic. Dick Rutan's private Spaceship One goes 5 times that high. We had balloons going to those heights 60 years ago but we didn't attach freeze-dried teddy bears to them.
>>>
>>>When will Britain/ESA grow a real space program? By the time Europe gets to the moon they'll land at a Chinese terminal with American restaurants, Russian taxis, and Indian hotels.
>>>
>>>>http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1091896/British-bears-space-Schoolchildrens-teddies-pictured-19-miles-Earth-strapped-giant-weather-balloon.html
>>
>>Sam Kinison on the Russian space program: "If you want to impress us, bring back our f*****g flag!"
>
>
>OTOH from 2010 you may have to rely on them for some years to put astronauts in space as you have done after Challenger and Columbia.

Personally I'm not relying on anyone to put astronauts in space. We have more important things to concern ourselves with.