Civilian Space Flight a Reality! SPACE SHIP ONE - HE MADE IT! (sub orbital)

Yah-poo ^ | 6/21/2004 | JOHN ANTCZAK

[Dallas59]

A rocket plane soared toward space Monday in a historic attempt to make the first privately financed flight into space. SpaceShipOne pilot Mike Melvill ignited a rocket motor for an 80-second burn intended to boost the craft to an altitude of 62 miles above the Mojave Desert. The craft was designed to make an unpowered landing back at Mojave Airport after an approximately 30-minute glide.

[HankReardon]

C'mon! The plane has got to take off on it's own power from earth or this is a non event!

[Centurion2000]

BUMP

Wright brothers indeed, what is this thing using for fuel ?

[Gunslingr3]

C'mon! The plane has got to take off on it's own power from earth or this is a non event!

Umm, why? Does an airliner have to pick you up at the door of your house?

The profit motive is going to do more for space and high speed travel than all the bureaucrats have combined.

[gdc61]

simply amazing.

[OldFriend]

American ingenuity........courage, dreams!

Thank you team.

[techcor]

Yay! Space Bump.

[Hank Rearden]

Fellow FReepers: please note it was not me asking this question (check the spelling). It's a very big event!

[Aeronaut]

[Oztrich Boy]

I thought Barrister, the first man to run a mile under five minutes this morning

and by a strange coincidence, the first man to run the mile under four minutes was named Bannister.

[isom35]

Hey, as long as I get to watch Patti Anne, the coverage is great! :)

[mvpel]

[bobjam]

Wright brothers indeed, what is this thing using for fuel I bet it's not a gas/electric hybrid.

[Moose4]

I'd trust a Rutan creation a lot more than something put together by the lowest bidder, that's for sure. :)

}:-)4

[cyborg]

thanks for the correction

[July 4th]

Must be a big cockpit to get a pair the size this man must have to fly into sub orbital space in what is essentially a homemade vehicle.

You should hang around Wisconsin during the EAA Fly-In each year. Some of the experimental planes that fly around the area make you wonder how high/drunk/insane the pilots must be to even get in one.

[BlazingArizona]

C'mon! The plane has got to take off on it's own power from earth or this is a non event!

It DID take off under its own power from the runway. SS1 is a two-stage mission, with both stages manned and reusable. The first-stage carrier plane is also purpose-built, and by Rutan. Earlier attempts to launch space vehicles from aircraft foundered because no large commercial aircraft are designed with the wings above the fuselage, allowing the spaceship to drop away before ignition. The Orbital Sciences unmanned Pegasus orbiter ended up having to be launched from military B-52s, which are high-wing.

[grobdriver]

Cool chase plane, too.
Always loved that Starship. Too bad Beech couldn't capitolize on it.

[spokeshave]

"Wright brothers indeed, what is this thing using for fuel I bet it's not a gas/electric hybrid."

It uses some sort of rubber composite (solid) and nitrous oxide...the unique thing about the engine is that the solid fuel is essentially inert and can be shipped by Fed-Ex and the Nitrous oxidizer gives the abilty to throttle the engine.

[lstanle]

"Fox's coverage of this event was pathetic."

You are right. I was very disappointed in FNC. I was forced to watch cnn for awhile today, that will haunt me for several days.

[Truth29]

A CNBC reporter highlighted the success of the mission, but indicated that upon deployment of the speedbraKe (he did use that term) there was a loud bang and that initial inspection of the plane upon landing revealed a dint in the rear fuselage. Does anyone have more details?