SpaceShipOne's first scheduled flight into space is to take place on the June 21st. They're allowing members of the public down to Mojave Airport to witness the event: Historic Space Launch Attempt Scheduled for June 21 Paul G. Allen and Burt Rutan Announce Plans for First Non-Government, Privately Funded Manned Space Flight Mojave, CA: A privately-developed rocket plane will launch into history on June 21 on a mission to become the world’s first commercial manned space vehicle. Investor and philanthropist Paul G. Allen and aviation legend Burt Rutan have teamed to create the program, which will attempt the first non-governmental flight to leave the earth’s atmosphere. SpaceShipOne will rocket to 100 kilometers (62 miles) into sub-orbital space above the Mojave Civilian Aerospace Test Center, a commercial airport in the California desert. If successful, it will demonstrate that the space frontier is finally open to private enterprise. This event could be the breakthrough that will enable space access for future generations. Allen, founder and chairman of Vulcan Inc, is financing the project. Along with Allen, Vulcan’s technology research and development team -- which takes the lead in developing high impact science and technology projects for Allen -- has been active in the project’s development and management. More details here Do us a favour - if you do go to spectate, take a camera and post pics!
Today's the day! will it be History in the making, or will SSO crash and burn? My money's on the History. We'll know sometime after 06:30 PDT (13:30 GMT) Good luck to everyone involved in the project, especially the pilot.
Do we know if this will be tv?. i think i'm going to go search the new sites. but as ths doesn't involve kiddie porn or death there is little chance of it making the usa news. [edit] looks like CNN will be doing live coverage. i'l be tuning in. I'll set the vcr as well. maybe i'll be able to get the old usv video inport thing to work this time.[/edit]
i would sooo love to go and watch WhiteKnight take off. w00tah (yes people i do know that the pic is of Space Ship One.Whiteknight is the plane that takes SSO to 60,000 ft.)
White Knight / SSO is in the air, currently at 25,000 ft. Release of SSO will occur at 50,000 ft. Updates here: http://www.spaceflightnow.com/ss1/status.html
According to early reports, Apogee was at 62 Miles! Well done to the world's newest Astronaut, Mike Mellville! (You get your Astronauts 'Wings' if you exceed 50 Miles)
From CNN: MOJAVE, California (CNN) -- SpaceShipOne left the Earth behind on Monday morning and made its indelible entry in the history books as the first private spacecraft to carry humans into space. It touched down safely at Mojave Airport at 11:15 ET. "It looks great," said Burt Rutan, chief of Scaled Composites, which built the craft. He gave a thumbs up on the runway as he squinted into the sun at the aircraft he designed. At 10:51 ET, Mike Melvill ignited the rocket engines and piloted SpaceShipOne into the blackness of space. His trajectory took him more than 100 kilometers, or 62 miles, above Earth's atmosphere, according to Scaled Composites flight officials. "It was a mind-blowing experience, it really was -- absolutely an awesome thing," Melvill said after landing. The rocket plane lifted off about 9:45 ET carried by the jet White Knight for an hourlong ascent. http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/space/06/21/suborbital.test/index.html Looks like he made it!
No, i think it was 62 miles, since that's the point at which the earths atmosphere is considered to end and space to begin, as technically inacurate as that crude deffinition is.
It was supposed to air on CNN, did anyone watch it? Did anyone happen to tape it? Or know where I can get a recording? I mean to record it but forgot it was today! I would do just about anything for a recording... There was only one person in the craft, so it's not for the X Prize. To win the X Prize there has to be 3 people and it has to go up twice in two weeks.
T recorded it off of CNN but their coverage sucked royal. there was no take off coverage and lots of info though but they did show the landing. I may dig up the usb video inport thing and see if i can get it to work this time. I've always gotten video but never audio.
According to the Space Flight Now, the target apogee for this flight was 68 miles - however, a trim actuator failed when Mellville ignited the engine which made it roll and go off course. He managed to switch to a back up system, and continued the flight, but the problem caused the failure to reach the height they wanted.
Here's some video of the first SSO space flight, from the Scaled Composites site: http://www.scaled.com/projects/tierone/video/SS1-B-roll-sm2.wmv Gotta' love the M&M's! Thing is, with such spectacular views, I don't think I'd want to come down.
I would love to go into space, but alas I don't think I'd ever make it. A: Me = chunky monkey B: Stick me in one of those spinny training things and say hello to breakfast *hark*
Jeeze that was incredible. I cannot wait for my chance to go. Just the thought of being that far away from... everything... wow. Thanks for the link to the clip! Gotta have something to show the young'ns 30 years from now
