SCI/TECH: SpaceShipOne almost in space

SpaceShipOne manned spacecraft has reached a record altitude of 212,000ft (64km) over California on one of its final tests before officially entering space.
SpaceShipOne was built by aerospace pioneer Burt Rutan who hopes to win the Ansari X-prize of $10m (�5.7m) for the first private flight into space.

Source: BBC News


The craft has to reach an altitude of 329,000ft (100km) twice in three weeks to win - and is expected to do so next month.

In an impressive demonstration over Mojave airport, SpaceShipOne and its carrier aircraft White Knight moved a step closer to claiming the X-prize when pilot Mike Melvill took the vehicle closer to space than any non-governmental craft has been.

Its 212,000ft (64km) altitude is some four times higher than SpaceShipOne has been piloted to previously, and is within striking distance of the height required to claim the X-prize.

SpaceShipOne's 13 shakedown tests have now put it into a position from which observers expect an attempt to be made within weeks.

Burt Rutan's company Scaled Composites has already become the first non-governmental body to be granted a launch licence when the US Federal Aviation Authority gave it one on 1 April.
www.abovetopsecret.com...

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- US FAA grants licence to Scaled Composites for SpaceShipOne rocket-plane

SpaceShipOne + White Knight launch plane:



[Edited on 14-5-2004 by Zion Mainframe]

This is one of the most awesome things ever. Look how smart us humans can be with the right motive and the right tools. I wish this team luck on getting into space.

[Edited on 14-5-2004 by jrod]

A brilliant achievement, of course this begs the question though : With all the money and resources that the military have where are they in space ?

Clearly they are already there and have been for a couple of decades and entirely invisible to the rest of us. Do you really think they have been sitting there with all those billions of dollars of satellites in space dependant on a 30 year old civilian space shuttle for access. No way.....

regards,

Malcolm

This is truely a remarkable accomplishment , espeacially for a privately funded project of this magnitude.
Now the next accomplishment will be to sustain orbit and circle the globe...

I ready for a ride!