Odd Couple Aim to Put Civilians in Space

By ALICIA CHANG, AP Science Writer, Space & Earth science / Space Exploration

Richard Branson, left, Burt Rutan and Paul Allen, right, watch as SpaceShipOne glides back to earth during the Ansari X Prize competition in Mojave, Calif., Oct. 4, 2004. Rutan, a secretive aviation legend, and Branson, a public relations-savvy entrepreneur, have joined forces in a venture aimed at launching ordinary folks into space without government help. (AP Photo/Laura Rauch)

(AP) -- One is a secretive aviation legend who made history by designing the first private manned rocket to reach space. The other is a publicity-savvy entrepreneur shooting to take his famous brand literally out of this world.

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