Posted on 09/28/2004 6:36:19 PM PDT by KevinDavis
This is going to be a live thread for tomorrows launch of Spaceship one...
The meek may inherit the earth, but not the mineral rights!
mms://wm.world.mii-streaming.net/media/deepblu/intro.wmv
Above is link to webcam, MSPlayer format.
Oh, I am rooting for the Canadians to MAKE IT into space, period. They wont be ready for a shot for a few months. Rutan, assuming all goes well the next couple of weeks, will win.
Placemarker bump.
Foolish to launch on the day the asteroid will hit earth.
Salvage One! Clever!
Thanks for the ping!
My very best to the crew!! :-)
The privately funded SpaceShipOne rocket plane will soar to the edge of space Wednesday during the first of two flights needed to win the $10 million Ansari X Prize.
The craft was loaded with its oxidizer fuel Tuesday, and weather forecasters are predicting favorable conditions for Wednesday's voyage.
The White Knight carrier aircraft with the SpaceShipOne craft mounted to its belly will taxi to the runway at California's Mojave airport at 6:30 a.m. local time (9:30 a.m. EDT; 1330 GMT). The duo is expected to be airborne around 6:45 a.m. PDT (9:45 a.m. EDT; 1345 GMT).
It will take about an hour for White Knight to reach an altitude of nearly 50,000 feet where SpaceShipOne is dropped at 7:45 a.m. PDT (10:45 a.m. EDT; 1445 GMT) to ignite its rocket engine and blast to the fringes of space.
After a powered flight of about 80 seconds, SpaceShipOne will coast up to an altitude in excess of 62 miles then reenter the atmosphere and glide to a landing on the Mojave runway by 8:30 a.m. PDT (11:30 a.m. EDT; 1530 GMT) to complete the brief suborbital trip.
The man who will pilot SpaceShipOne remains a secret. His identity will be revealed Wednesday morning.
SpaceShipOne was created by Burt Rutan and funded by Microsoft billionaire Paul G. Allen. It flew a similar flight in June that served as a full-scale rehearsal for two launches needed to win the X Prize.
The contest aims to promote private spaceflights and space tourism. Teams must design a spacecraft and launch a human into space, then repeat the flight within a two-week period.
If Wednesday's flight goes well, the Rutan team hopes to launch again October 4 to claim the $10 million prize.
The SpaceShipOne project has been well in front of competing teams. A Canadian rival had planned a launch in the coming days but has since scrubbed the attempt.
While claiming the X Prize remains the near-term goal, Richard Branson has signed a deal to use the SpaceShipOne technologies to develop the world's first privately funded spacecraft dedicated to carrying commercial passengers on spaceflights.
Branson's Virgin Group has formed Virgin Galactic -- a new company that plans to be become the first commercial space tourism operator.
"We've always had a dream of developing a space tourism business and Paul Allen's vision, combined with Burt Rutan's technological brilliance, have brought that dream a step closer to reality. The deals with both their companies, being announced (Monday), are just the start of what we believe will be a new era in the history of mankind, making the affordable exploration of space by human beings real," Branson said.
"We hope to create thousands of astronauts over the next few years and bring alive their dream of seeing the majestic beauty of our planet from above, the stars in all their glory and the amazing sensation of weightlessness. The development will also allow every country in the world to have their own astronauts rather than the privileged few."
Virgin Galactic will open for business by the beginning of 2005 and subject to the necessary safety and regulatory approvals begin operating flights from 2007, the group said in a press announcement.
"It is expected that around $100 million will be invested in developing the new generation of spaceships and ground infrastructure required to operate a suborbital space tourism experience. Over five years Virgin expects to create around 3,000 astronauts and the price per seat on each flight, which will include at least three days of pre-flight training, are expected to start at around $190,000," the announcement read.
"Virgin will reinvest the proceeds in developing a new generation of vehicles for further space ventures. To date the cheapest space tourism experiences in government built and taxpayer funded spaceships cost over $15,000,000 per seat."
"I backed the development of SpaceShipOne because I saw this as a great opportunity to demonstrate that space exploration could someday be within the reach of private citizens," Allen said. "Today's deal with Virgin represents the next stage in the evolution of the SpaceShipOne concept, and will likely be the first of a number of deals that will utilize the technology developed during its creation. I am very happy to have Virgin and Richard Branson as sponsors of our X Prize attempt and excited about space tourism."
"Our June space flight was flown with several new technologies that address both the cost and safety of manned spaceflight. These, combined with the lessons learned from our SpaceShipOne research program, will enable us to develop the finest suborbital operational systems possible," Rutan added.
"I am looking forward to getting started on the development program and the opportunity to work with Virgin on taking Paul Allen's vision to the next stage."
It is expected that Virgin Galactic will formally commence the contractual and design phase of the project after the conclusion of the Ansari X Prize flights and start construction of the first spaceship, the 'VSS ENTERPRISE' in 2005.
Any chance of placing this on Breaking News.. 1hr and counting....
Mike Melvill is going to be the pilot of Space Ship One..
Thanks for the link. However, I only get an intro slide show. Have they started the live webcast yet?
Looks like SS1 will be launching 6:30(pst), less then an hour to go...
I was wondering what time they would be flying, thanks for the info, got a video tape ready....
When is wheels up ?
When is rocket fire ?
I was several hours late for work on April 12, 1981. Remember what day that was?
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