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SpaceShipOne Was Not Out of Control, Builder and Pilot Say
space.com ^
| 09/29/04
| Leonard David
Posted on 09/29/2004 5:56:17 PM PDT by KevinDavis
MOJAVE, CALIFORNIA The frightening spin of SpaceShipOne during its trip into space Wednesday was caused by a known deficiency and at no time led to an out-of-control situation, officials said today.
The privately built and financed suborbital vehicle shot to an unofficial altitude record of 63.9 miles (102.9 kilometers) during a flight that had ground controllers and webcast viewers worrying for a few tense moments as the craft went into an unexpected series of rolls.
Assuming the altitude is verified, SpaceShipOne is one step away from winning $10 million Ansari X Prize, which will be given to the first team that can send a three-person craft 62 miles (100 kilometers) up within two weeks.
A decision on whether to attempt the second flight as early as Sunday will be rendered by late Thursday, officials said during a post-flight press conference.
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
TOPICS: Business/Economy; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: space; spaceshipone; xprize
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To: KevinDavis
Burt Rutan said in the post-flight press confernce that he was calling for an abort but Melvill decided to keep going.
21
posted on
09/29/2004 6:25:45 PM PDT
by
Cooter
To: sionnsar
LOL. Three decades ago I was working at NASA Ames when a researcher (okay, "scientist") there made the morose pronouncement that NASA had just passed a significant milestone: They now had more than one bureaucrat for every researcher.
It would be funny if it weren't so damned sad. What are the taxpayers forced to give them now, something like 16 billion a year?
22
posted on
09/29/2004 6:27:51 PM PDT
by
Jaysun
(It's getting hard to see through all of the "white out" on my screen.)
To: KevinDavis
I think Jaysun agrees. He just didn't use his sarcasm tags.
To: KevinDavis
If space flight had been privatized 40 years ago, I'm fairly certain that I'd have a summer home on Venus by now.
In 20 years, I hope NASA is folded into the FAA.
24
posted on
09/29/2004 6:34:44 PM PDT
by
Wormwood
(Iä! Iä! Cthulhu fhtagn!)
To: dc-zoo
"I was afraid a wing would break off with the frequency of that roll."
In that thin of an atmosphere, there wouldn't be too much pressure on the wings, but I was worried that if the spin wobbled so that it was not around the longitudinal axis that the fragile little thing would tear itself into little chunks.
25
posted on
09/29/2004 6:36:01 PM PDT
by
Max Combined
(I gave back, I can't remember, six, seven, eight, nine...)
To: Larry Lucido
They said they made up the weight of 2 people with artifacts placed on board by the people who worked on the project. I thought he was a goner.
26
posted on
09/29/2004 6:39:48 PM PDT
by
RedwM
To: Pukin Dog
Yep, I commented on that earlier today. I'm old enough (young enough?) to remember Gemini 8 when Armstrong and Scott had an uncommanded roll from a stuck-open RCS thruster. Those guys were very close to a red-out at 360 dps before they broke away from the Agena.
Oh well, any sub-orbital you can walk away from...
27
posted on
09/29/2004 6:50:04 PM PDT
by
Jonah Hex
(Free Republic... Afflicting the Media Since 1998)
To: Pukin Dog; Poohbah; section9
The pilot walked away from the landing.
It was a good flight.
28
posted on
09/29/2004 9:28:51 PM PDT
by
hchutch
(I only eat dolphin-safe veal.)
To: Jonah Hex; hchutch
Bottom line, Melville was a lucky duck. I'm concerned that he wont be so lucky the next time. Lots of good men have died trying to get into the history books. If that roll had any yaw in it, that thing could have come apart. I don't think it would be responsible for them to continue the effort until the kinks are worked out.
29
posted on
09/30/2004 5:41:44 AM PDT
by
Pukin Dog
(Sans Reproache)
To: SoggyBottomBoy
"I heard for the test they can have the pilot and the "weight" of 2 other people onboard."
Only one person if its Michael Moore.
30
posted on
09/30/2004 5:44:19 AM PDT
by
Rebelbase
("We will crush Al Qaeda"....Silky Pony)
To: Max Combined
the fragile little thing It's fairly rugged. Carbon fiber is light and strong.
31
posted on
09/30/2004 8:00:07 AM PDT
by
RightWhale
(Withdraw from the 1967 UN Outer Space Treaty and establish property rights)
To: RightWhale
It's fairly rugged. Carbon fiber is light and strong. No it isn't.
Along it's long axis, it can be stronger than steel. But, if you twist or torque it, it can delaminate, and become weak in the extreme. If G tolerances are exceeded, you can have a massive structure failure. If I were Rutan, I would not fly that craft again, and use a backup if they had one.
32
posted on
09/30/2004 9:58:20 AM PDT
by
Pukin Dog
(Sans Reproache)
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