Well, I bailed on the six hour drive down to Mojave to see the launch of SpaceShipOne, but somehow they’ve managed to muddle along without me, and I’m currently watching footage on the major networks. Best wishes to all involved in the project, and I’ll post updates here as the day goes on.
SpaceShipOne is shown here landing during a previous test flight. The craft is actually dropped from a mothership christened “White Knight” at an altitude of 50,000 feet, fires its rockets and climbs to maximum altitude, then glides back to a landing. Previous test flights have reached 40 miles in altidude, today’s attempt will be 68 miles if successful. The pilot, Mike Melvill, is 62 years old and is not carrying a parachute.
- Yahoo! News – First-Of-A-Kind Private Rocket Plane Heads to Space
- Scaled Composites website, creators of SpaceShipOne
- Yahoo! News – Private rocket-plane completes historic space mission
Addendum [Mon Jun 21 07:59:48 PDT 2004]: SpaceShipOne has apparently fired its rocket engine and is on its way to apogee. Wahoo!
Addendum [Mon Jun 21 08:14:42 PDT 2004]: Touchdown! Just viewed the landing on MSNBC, he is coasting to a stop after reaching an altitude of 62 miles. Congratulations to all those at Scaled Composites in becoming the first non-governmental power to put a man in space.