Yep, I was thinking of the competition between Samuel Langley and the Wright Brothers when I read about last year's successful test flights of Space Ship One over the Mojave Desert, the first space craft that wasn't built by a government agency. They gave me hope that if NASA can't get the Space Shuttle to fly again, private industry will find a way to return us to space. Burt Rutan and his pilots seem to me like a 21st-century version of the Wright Brothers.
Now how does Sir Richard Branson and his Virgin Galactic venture fit into the scheme of things?
Maybe he doesn't. Branson was present during the flight tests, and now wants to commercialize the capability. Trouble is, the US gov't has concerns over possible transfers of classified technology, because Branson -- though British -- is a private citizen, and his company is foreign.