The school pounds into them a fervor for space exploration that sounds like that of Captain Kirk of the starship Enterprise in Star Trek.

FORBES: The Space Mafia

The effort represents the latest development in private sector companies moving into space exploration.

BBC: US private sector hopes to send older couple to Mars

The European Space Agency believes the vehicle's capabilities will feed into many other exploration activities, at the Moon, Mars and other Solar System destinations.

BBC: Europe's new space truck takes shape

Jeff Bezos, already pouring money into space exploration, is now committing his extensive resources to a different scientific frontier: the human brain.

FORBES: Bezos Donates $15 Million For Princeton Neuroscience Center