X Prize Contender to Carry Out Drop Tests

Space.com ^ | 6/30/03 | Leonard David

[KevinDavis]

X Prize contender Starchaser Industries of the United Kingdom is to carry out manned drop tests of its three-seater capsule over the Arizona desert in July. The Nova mark 2 drop tests are slated to take place high above a Red Lake, Arizona drop zone between July 21 - 25, according to the rocket organization. The main purpose of the tests is to verify the capsule's parachute, navigation and landing systems. The capsule will be dropped at a height of 14,000 feet from a C-123K transport aircraft.

The group is pressing forward on its Project Thunderbird - a low cost multi-stage rocketship designed to carry people on short sub-orbital pleasure flights into space. For the purposes of the X Prize, and to claim a $10 million purse, there are three seats aboard Thunderbird with the ship to flown twice within a two-week period.

According to Starchaser Industries, its first "manned" flight is scheduled for October 2004.

[KevinDavis]

I saw their site and it looks they have a good plan, however Burt is going to win...

[KevinDavis]

Space Ping! This is the space ping list! Let me know if you want on or off this list!

[Cold Heat]

Is Burt the one that was aired a few months ago on some channel or another. I believe the ship was red or orange?

[KevinDavis]

Yes, his ship is red white and blue

[Cold Heat]

It looked good, but risky.

I expect NASA will point out any serious system flaws.

The guy has a set of rocks for sure.

[Brett66]

[JenB]

Please put me on the space ping list. Especially for these X-Prize articles, they seem promising.

[KevinDavis]

The winner of X-Prize!

[Nebr FAL owner]

That is Burt Rutan's design & he is an American

[yhwhsman]

Here's a good story about Burt Rutan's attempt:

Burt Rutan's SpaceShipOne

If I was a betting man, my money'd be on Burt. He's designed a lot of very remarkable planes over the years.

Yhwhsman

[KevinDavis]

It is already posted. From what I understand he plans to fly spaceship one before or on the day of the Wright Brothers first flight 100 hunderd years ago.

[StriperSniper]

From your link:

Passengers aboard SpaceShipOne (above) will experience 3.5-G acceleration on the ride up to 62.5 miles—attributable to the vehicle's light weight (approximately 6,000 pounds) and fiercely powerful hybrid rocket engine. That will be an ordeal for even the heartiest adventurer: Late test pilot Milt Thompson said of the X-15, which offered a comparable ride, that it was the only airplane he ever flew in which he was "glad when the engine quit."

Must be some ride for a test pilot to say that.