The sails are up and the trade winds are a blowin'!

We have done some testing with low power lasers horizontally at 1km. We have lined up two di!erent Solar cell providers depending on what laser we end up using. We have one or two answers for every technical challenge we have anticipated. We have a few parts for the '08 climber in house that are awaiting testing along with some sketches of where to put them. Our focus has been in making sure we have a viable plan, but the fund raising environment seems warmer than last year.

We have recruited some more expertise this year to make sure we have all the skills needed.

We are heading to a trade show called Photonics West in San Francisco. It is the biggest show of it's type and all of the major Laser vendors will be there. As well as most of the optical suppliers we will need.

We have decided to plan for the full $2 Million prize at a speed of 5 Meters per second. Even with the shortened schedule this year we are ahead of where we were the last 2 years. All in all, progress is good and this may be the best year to be a Space Pirate yet!

Thanks again for all of your support.
Brian Turner, Captain