Oracle to send programmer into space

Brian Emmett, a software developer for Oracle customer Stryker, has won a trip into space as part of a contest sponsored by the database giant.

The company announced Wednesday that Emmett, 30, of Mountain View, Calif., had won the Oracle Space Sweepstakes. The competition, launched in December 2004 in conjunction with Space Adventures, tested entrants on developing technologies for Java and service-oriented architecture. Emmett was randomly selected from a pool of qualified entrants, and he'll get a trip on a commercial flight to suborbital space. In related news, Volvo sponsored a space contest recently, announcing that its winner would be sent into space via Virgin Galactic.