Ansari X-Prize Launch Live Thread (Update: LANDING SUCCESSFUL!)

09/29/04

[KevinDavis]

This is going to be a live thread for tomorrows launch of Spaceship one...

[Reaganesque]

The beginning of a new era... We live in really cool times.

[B4Ranch]

I'm guessing that he was told by ground control, "You made it into space, shut it down".

[b2stealth]

Man, those guys are great!!!

[RightWhale]

the craft was not orb

It was orbiting while in free fall. It is called a suborbit because the orbit intersects the surface of the earth.

[lainie]

"One Down, One to Go"

"The start of the personal space flight revolution. The next flight will be called X-2."

[Odyssey-x]

Rep from Virgin Galactic speaking now. Dressed in uniform. Gives Mike set of Virgin Galactic Wings.

[AFPhys]

Repeat request:

I have no access to video capability right now.

I would appreciate someone who does to tell me the number of turns and how long they were going on before control restoration.

[Mike Fieschko]

Isn't this place the parking lot for old airliners out of use?

One graveyard is at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona.

[gopwinsin04]

'One down. One to go..for X-2!'

[Mike Fieschko]

pine seedlings, IIRC

[norton]

Mojave is a parking lot for excess airliners as well as in-process drones and all sorts of wonderous stuff.
Oh, and a spaceship.

[RightWhale]

Maybe this private spaceflight thing will encourage people to study some Newtonian mechanics, or maybe even more than that.

[Reaganesque]

Some guy from Virgin Galactic giving "Virgin Galatic Wings" to the pilot. That's funny.

Hmmm, major announcement coming up re: the future of the X-Prize.

[gopwinsin04]

Major announcemnt coming about the future X-prize for orbit coming in a few minutes..

[petro45acp]

Cool! Thanks!

[lainie]

Spaceport Mojave! woo hoo

[Robert A Cook PE]

"VSS ENTERPRISE"


A perfectly fitting name: combines the Enterprise "tradition" of ship names, but blends it with the old "USS" with Rutan's and Virgin's tradition on commercial "enterprizes" and starships...

[petro45acp]

And Jack Burton knows what he's talking about!

Cheers!

[JimNtexas]

Bert says that the ground asked Mike to shut down the engine when the rolls started, but Mike keep going long enough to attain (barely) the required altitude. Bert said they used "a lot" of the RCS fuel for both systems in order to stabalize the roll.

Bert said he doesn't know if the roll issue will delay the next launch, but that the ship seems to be in excellent shape and they should be able to go again "Sunday or Monday".

[lainie]

My first thought, if it's "future prize awards to moon orbit" is OH COME ON.