x prise hopefulls reach reocord 40 mile alt.

brina · 05-15-2004, 04:55 PM

(CNN) -- The ultimate thrill ride could be closer to reality.

Aircraft designer Burt Rutan and his firm Scaled Composites took a giant leap early Thursday toward becoming the first private company to send a person into space.

Scaled Composites, funded by Microsoft co-founder and billionaire Paul Allen, set a new civilian altitude record of 40 miles in a craft called SpaceShipOne during a test flight above California's Mojave Desert.

The firm is one of 24 companies from several countries competing for the $10 million X Prize, which will go to the first privately funded group to send three people on a 62.5-mile-high suborbital flight and repeat the feat within two weeks using the same vehicle.

The nonprofit X Prize Foundation is sponsoring the contest to promote the development of a low-cost, efficient craft for space tourism in the same way prize competitions stimulated commercial aviation in the early 20th century.

The prize is fully funded through January 1, 2005, according to the foundation's Web site.

The Rutan-designed White Knight aircraft, with SpaceShipOne attached to its belly, rolled down the Mojave Airport runway at 7:41 a.m. PT Thursday.

The strangely shaped White Knight carried SpaceShipOne to 50,000 feet. Then 50 minutes after takeoff, the spacecraft separated from White Knight and rocketed into the stratosphere.

"There was tremendous acceleration. We went very, very fast, and I went straight up" for two minutes, said 62-year-old pilot Mike Melvill, who floated weightlessly as he leveled out at 212,000 feet.

When SpaceShipOne glided back to Mojave Airport and rolled to a stop, Melvill was greeted by about 75 people, mostly employees of Scaled Composites and their families.

Shortly after his flight, a very excited Melvill told CNN that seeing the sky go from blue to black was the thrill of his life.

"I feel great, it was fabulous. I would pay a million dollars to do that again," he said.

And paying for flights is exactly what Rutan and his company are banking on.

Those who support the X Prize competition compare the hoped-for space tourism industry to the aviation industry in its infancy, pointing out that world commercial aviation is now a $250 billion enterprise.

The X Prize Foundation notes that Charles Lindbergh was competing for a $25,000 prize when he flew from New York to Paris in 1927 on the first nonstop solo trans-Atlantic flight.

Allen has shown his interest in space by funding the SETI Institute, which is dedicated to searching for life outside Earth. SETI stands for search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

"We continue to make remarkable progress with the SpaceShipOne test flights," Allen said in a statement issued after Thursday's flight.

"Our attempt to send the first privately funded astronaut into suborbital space will be the next step in that process. If successful, it will be a major milestone in private space exploration."

Stewbonz · 05-15-2004, 07:56 PM

I've been a fan of Rutan for a long time.
I think he will do it.

JEFF JARVIS
http://www.thailandsegwaytours.com/

W9GFO · 05-15-2004, 11:44 PM

Quote:

quote:And paying for flights is exactly what Rutan and his company are banking on.

It's interesting that Rutan has said that he was not interested in space tourism before. Now he is?

I have been told that SS1 experienced some high mach fluttering problems on that last flight. Those twin tailbooms scare the hell out of me for transonic/supersonic flight. Remember what happened to the BD-10?

He'll probably do just fine. After a thousand uneventful flights I will be convinced that twin tailbooms on supersonic aircraft are safe. Shockwaves have been known to spontaneously disassemble aircraft with no warning.

Rich H

Sleepy · 09-06-2004, 09:27 PM

FYI: They're going for the X-prize this month. Sept 29 is the first of 2 launch dates.
I'm headed down to watch the launch.

-Alex

BruceWright · 10-05-2004, 08:25 PM

I was at the launch yesterday. AMAZING.

WHAT a machine!

-Bruce Wright

Segway: Vehicle of Dream

SegwayUtah · 10-06-2004, 11:25 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by BruceWright

I was at the launch yesterday. AMAZING.

WHAT a machine!

Bruce, are you serious? I was there too (in the preferred viewing section; I drove down from Utah just to see it). I had my Segway HT i170MB with me too (and there were two people hanging out in the same area who had rented Segway HTs from Segway LA).

Oh, and Burt Rutan's family got to try out my Segway HT

His dad (George) as well as his daughter and granddaughter were all riding around, having a great time. Burt was a little busy with the launch at the time of course

I have photos.

And yes, that machine is pretty incredible.

Chris

BruceWright · 10-08-2004, 03:14 PM

I didn't know about that preferred area. I was in the cheap seats!

I was wondering if there would be any Segways there, and toyed with bringing mine. But the day belonged to Rutan and the great crew from Scaled Composites.

Did you see the special on Discovery Channel last night? They had an updated hour-long segment about last week and this week's flights.

-Bruce Wright

Segway: Vehicle of Dream

05-15-2004, 04:55 PM	#1
brina Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: , NY, USA. Posts: 145	x prise hopefulls reach reocord 40 mile alt. (CNN) -- The ultimate thrill ride could be closer to reality. Aircraft designer Burt Rutan and his firm Scaled Composites took a giant leap early Thursday toward becoming the first private company to send a person into space. Scaled Composites, funded by Microsoft co-founder and billionaire Paul Allen, set a new civilian altitude record of 40 miles in a craft called SpaceShipOne during a test flight above California's Mojave Desert. The firm is one of 24 companies from several countries competing for the $10 million X Prize, which will go to the first privately funded group to send three people on a 62.5-mile-high suborbital flight and repeat the feat within two weeks using the same vehicle. The nonprofit X Prize Foundation is sponsoring the contest to promote the development of a low-cost, efficient craft for space tourism in the same way prize competitions stimulated commercial aviation in the early 20th century. The prize is fully funded through January 1, 2005, according to the foundation's Web site. The Rutan-designed White Knight aircraft, with SpaceShipOne attached to its belly, rolled down the Mojave Airport runway at 7:41 a.m. PT Thursday. The strangely shaped White Knight carried SpaceShipOne to 50,000 feet. Then 50 minutes after takeoff, the spacecraft separated from White Knight and rocketed into the stratosphere. "There was tremendous acceleration. We went very, very fast, and I went straight up" for two minutes, said 62-year-old pilot Mike Melvill, who floated weightlessly as he leveled out at 212,000 feet. When SpaceShipOne glided back to Mojave Airport and rolled to a stop, Melvill was greeted by about 75 people, mostly employees of Scaled Composites and their families. Shortly after his flight, a very excited Melvill told CNN that seeing the sky go from blue to black was the thrill of his life. "I feel great, it was fabulous. I would pay a million dollars to do that again," he said. And paying for flights is exactly what Rutan and his company are banking on. Those who support the X Prize competition compare the hoped-for space tourism industry to the aviation industry in its infancy, pointing out that world commercial aviation is now a $250 billion enterprise. The X Prize Foundation notes that Charles Lindbergh was competing for a $25,000 prize when he flew from New York to Paris in 1927 on the first nonstop solo trans-Atlantic flight. Allen has shown his interest in space by funding the SETI Institute, which is dedicated to searching for life outside Earth. SETI stands for search for extraterrestrial intelligence. "We continue to make remarkable progress with the SpaceShipOne test flights," Allen said in a statement issued after Thursday's flight. "Our attempt to send the first privately funded astronaut into suborbital space will be the next step in that process. If successful, it will be a major milestone in private space exploration."

05-15-2004, 07:56 PM	#2
Stewbonz Senior Member Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 1,554	I've been a fan of Rutan for a long time. I think he will do it. JEFF JARVIS http://www.thailandsegwaytours.com/

09-06-2004, 09:27 PM	#4
Sleepy Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Santa Clara, CA, USA. Posts: 637	FYI: They're going for the X-prize this month. Sept 29 is the first of 2 launch dates. I'm headed down to watch the launch. -Alex

10-05-2004, 08:25 PM	#5
BruceWright Advanced Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Sherman Oaks (Los Angeles), California, USA. Posts: 3,296	I was at the launch yesterday. AMAZING. WHAT a machine! -Bruce Wright Segway: Vehicle of Dream

10-08-2004, 03:14 PM	#7
BruceWright Advanced Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Sherman Oaks (Los Angeles), California, USA. Posts: 3,296	I didn't know about that preferred area. I was in the cheap seats! I was wondering if there would be any Segways there, and toyed with bringing mine. But the day belonged to Rutan and the great crew from Scaled Composites. Did you see the special on Discovery Channel last night? They had an updated hour-long segment about last week and this week's flights. -Bruce Wright Segway: Vehicle of Dream

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)