TIME.com: Inventions of the Year -- The best inventions of 2001 Senator John Glenn is not the only civilian who would enjoy rocketing into space, but chances are the rest of us won¹t be hitching a ride on a space shuttle anytime soon. We¹ll have to wait until private companies can take us there. Jeff Greason of Mojave, Calif., has done his part by creating the first low-cost, reusable rocket engines. Greason¹s EZ-Rocket prototype, which took flight this fall, is powered by twin engines that burn isopropyl alcohol and liquid oxygen to generate 400 lbs. of thrust. Greason¹s engines should be able to carry passengers 65 miles above the earth‹too low to go into orbit but high enough to give space tourists a spectacular view of the planet. Greason estimates that planes powered by his engines could someday cost as little as $900 per flight to operate. The planes would cost as much as a Lear jet ($10 million), but Greason figures that¹s a bargain considering that Lear jets can¹t fly high enough and the cheapest boosters start at $100 million.

Availability: Opened Sept. 2001
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