Now Earning Wings, a New Kind of Astronaut
...The F.A.A. wings were the brainchild of Michelle S. Murray, an aerospace engineer in the aviation agency's Office of Commercial Space Transportation, which regulates businesses that are out of this world, or aim to be.
The two pins that have been awarded so far were made to order, according to the F.A.A., and new ones will be ordered when, or if, they are needed.
The X Prize was conceived to encourage a new role for the private sector in human space travel, beginning with space tourism. Burt Rutan, the designer of SpaceShipOne, has signed a deal to develop a larger craft for Sir Richard Branson, who has announced flights beginning as soon as 2007 for passengers willing to pay $190,000 for what would have to be considered the ultimate thrill ride: a roller coaster some 60 miles high.
Which raises the question: Will the passengers also qualify for astronaut wings? ...
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/12/sc...ce/12astr.html