Peter Diamandis
Encyclopedia
Dr. Peter H. Diamandis (born May 20, 1961, in The Bronx
, New York City
, New York
), of Greek immigrant parents, is considered a key figure in the development of the personal spaceflight industry, having created many space-related businesses or organizations. He is the Founder and Chairman of the X PRIZE Foundation, an educational non-profit prize institute whose mission is to create radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity.
His foundation is best known for offering the $10 million Ansari X PRIZE
for private-sector manned spaceflight, a prize that was won in October 2004 by Microsoft
co-founder Paul Allen
and famed aviation designer Burt Rutan
with SpaceShipOne, the world's first non-government piloted spacecraft. More recently, Diamandis has created the Rocket Racing League
. Born as a cross between Indy car racing and rocket-powered flight, RRL is developing a brand-new motor sport.
In addition to serving as chairman of the X PRIZE Foundation, Diamandis is also the CEO and co-founder of Zero Gravity Corporation
, which offers parabolic weightless flights to the general public. He is also the co-Founder and a Director of Space Adventures, Ltd, the company that has flown eight private citizens on Soyuz to the International Space Station
.
. He got an M.D.
from Harvard Medical School.
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
), of Greek immigrant parents, is considered a key figure in the development of the personal spaceflight industry, having created many space-related businesses or organizations. He is the Founder and Chairman of the X PRIZE Foundation, an educational non-profit prize institute whose mission is to create radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity.
His foundation is best known for offering the $10 million Ansari X PRIZE
Ansari X Prize
The Ansari X Prize was a space competition in which the X Prize Foundation offered a US$10,000,000 prize for the first non-government organization to launch a reusable manned spacecraft into space twice within two weeks...
for private-sector manned spaceflight, a prize that was won in October 2004 by Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
co-founder Paul Allen
Paul Allen
Paul Gardner Allen is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. Allen co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates...
and famed aviation designer Burt Rutan
Burt Rutan
Elbert Leander "Burt" Rutan is an American aerospace engineer noted for his originality in designing light, strong, unusual-looking, energy-efficient aircraft...
with SpaceShipOne, the world's first non-government piloted spacecraft. More recently, Diamandis has created the Rocket Racing League
Rocket Racing League
The Rocket Racing League is a proposed racing league that would use rocket-powered aircraft to race a closed-circuit air racetrack. Founded in 2005, the league is currently working to hold the first multi-vehicle races in 2011...
. Born as a cross between Indy car racing and rocket-powered flight, RRL is developing a brand-new motor sport.
In addition to serving as chairman of the X PRIZE Foundation, Diamandis is also the CEO and co-founder of Zero Gravity Corporation
Zero Gravity Corporation
Zero Gravity Corporation is an American company based in Vienna, Virginia, formerly of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which operates weightless flights from United States airports...
, which offers parabolic weightless flights to the general public. He is also the co-Founder and a Director of Space Adventures, Ltd, the company that has flown eight private citizens on Soyuz to the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
.
Notable achievements
Diamandis also:- Co-founded and is chairman of the Singularity UniversitySingularity UniversitySingularity University is an academic institution in Silicon Valley whose stated aim is to "assemble, educate and inspire a cadre of leaders who strive to understand and facilitate the development of exponentially advancing technologies and apply, focus and guide these tools to address humanity’s...
. - Served as CEO of BlastOff! CorporationBlastOff! CorporationBlastoff! Corporation was a small aerospace company in Pasadena, California that operated from 1999 to early 2001. Blastoff! was one of dozens of Idealab's incubator companies, created to capitalize on the public interest in space travel and exploration....
, which designed a private mission to land on the Moon as a mix of entertainment, internet and space. The company brought together talent from NASA/JPL and Hollywood. - Served as CEO of Desktop.tv, a spin-off company from BlastOff! Designed to provide a global peer-to-peer television network for broadcasting unique content to the desktop.
- Served as Chairman of Starport.comhttp://www.starport.com, an Internet channel for space exploration for kids of all ages. The site represents over twenty astronauts and features space heroes, missions and simulations. Sold to Space.comhttp://www.space.com.
- Served as President & EVP Business Development of Angel Technologies Corporation - Broadband.com. Angel Technologies Corporation is a commercial communications company developing wireless broadband communications networks (www.broadband.com).
- Co-founded Space AdventuresSpace AdventuresSpace Adventures, Ltd. is a Virginia, USA-based space tourism company founded in 1998 by Eric C. Anderson. , offerings include zero-gravity atmospheric flights, orbital spaceflights , and other spaceflight-related experiences including cosmonaut training, spacewalk training, and launch tours...
Ltd. in 1994 http://www.spaceadventures.com, a leading space- tourism company. Space Adventures arranged Dennis Tito’s flight to the International Space Station in 2001 (the first space tourist). - Served as Vice President of Commercial Space Programs for CTA Inc., a $190M-revenue space technology company responsible for developing new CTA commercial space initiatives in small satellite remote sensing and communications.
- Founded and served as Director of Constellation Communications, Inc. (CCI) in 1991. CCI was one of five low Earth orbitLow Earth orbitA low Earth orbit is generally defined as an orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2,000 km...
applicants designing a low-Earth orbit satellite constellation for voice telephony. Constellation plans to deploy an equatorial ring of 10 satellites to provide communications primarily to Brazil and Indonesia. - Founded and served as CEO of International MicroSpace, Inc. (IMI) in 1989. IMI was an entrepreneurial space technologies company focusing on the provision of low-cost launch services (ORBEX launch vehicle program). IMI was awarded a launch services contract for 1 launch plus 9 options from Strategic Defense Initiative Organization (SDIO) worth up to $125M. IMI was purchased by CTA Incorporated in 1993 and closed down in 1994 after SDIO canceled the contract.
- Founded and served as Managing Director & CEO of International Space UniversityInternational Space UniversityThe International Space University is a private university founded in 1987. The University currently offers three degree granting programs — Master of Science in Space Management, Master of Science in Space Studies and Executive MBA — in addition to a non-degree-granting Space Studies Program.The...
(ISU) in 1987. ISU is the world's leading graduate program for multi-national and multi-disciplinary study of space involving over 30 nations and 140 graduates per year. ISU has established a $30M graduate-level campus in Strasbourg, France. During the period 1992–1994, Diamandis served as Co-Chair of the ISU Business & Management Department. http://www.isunet.edu - Co-founded and served as director of the Space Generation Foundation, a non-profit organization established in 1985 to create, in all people born since the advent of the Space Age on 4 October 1957, a sense of identity — an awareness that they are born as members of a space-faring race. The Foundation supports numerous educational and research projects.
- Founded SpaceFair in 1983. SpaceFair is a national space conference hosted by MIT in '83, '85, and '87.
- Founded Students for the Exploration and Development of SpaceStudents for the Exploration and Development of SpaceStudents for the Exploration and Development of Space is an international student organization whose purpose is to promote space exploration and development through educational and engineering projects.-Mission statement:...
(SEDS) in 1980. SEDS currently is the world's largest college- and high school-based student pro-space organization. http://www.seds.org
Education
Diamandis received undergraduate and graduate degrees in aerospace engineering and health, sciences and technology from MIT where he became a brother of the Theta Deuteron charge of Theta Delta ChiTheta Delta Chi
Theta Delta Chi is a social fraternity that was founded in 1847 at Union College. While nicknames differ from institution to institution, the most common nicknames for the fraternity are Theta Delt, Thete, TDX, and TDC. Theta Delta Chi brothers refer to their local organization as Charges rather...
. He got an M.D.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
from Harvard Medical School.
Awards
- 1983 MIT John Asinari Award for outstanding Undergrad Life Sciences research.
- 1984 MIT William L. Stewart, Jr Award for the Founding of SEDS.
- 1985–1986 Harvard Med. School Student Research Grant American Heart Assoc.
- 1986–1987 Biomedical Research Support Grant supported by the NIH.
- 1986 Space Industrialization Fellowship presented by the Space Foundation.
- 1988 Aviation Week & Space Tech. Laurel in recognition of Founding ISU..
- 1992 Space Frontiers Foundation "Pioneers Award" Presented for cumulative work done in the commercialization and development of the space field.
- 1994 "Top-25 Young Stars of Space" award presented by the National Space Society for outstanding work done by space pioneers under the age of 40.
- "Konstantine E. Tsiolkovsky Award" presented by the Russian Government for the creation of ISU (along with T. Hawley and R. Richards).
- 2002 World Technology Award, presented by the World Technology Counsel
- 2005 Doctorate of Space Achievement (Honoris Causa) by ISU
- 2006 Robert & Virginia HeinleinRobert A. HeinleinRobert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction writer. Often called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was one of the most influential and controversial authors of the genre. He set a standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of...
Prize, for Advances in Space Commercialization
External links
- Peter Diamandis talks about the X PRIZE and future of space travel (MIT Video)
- Peter Diamandis talks about the X PRIZE,Zero gravity,Rocket race league (open ssp08 lecture @ barcelona,spain) SSP08 podcast /rss feed
- TED Talks: Peter Diamandis on our next giant leap at TEDTED (conference)TED is a global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, formed to disseminate "ideas worth spreading"....
in 2008 - TED Talks: Peter Diamandis on Stephen Hawking in zero g at TEDTED (conference)TED is a global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, formed to disseminate "ideas worth spreading"....
in 2008 - Peter Diamandis' lecture at the Quantum to Cosmos festival at Perimeter Institute