The SpaceShipOne Thread

McC · Post by **McC** » 2004-06-21 10:58am

Don't see this anywhere else, so yay for being the first to post!

Anyway, SS1 is heading for the space 'threshold' of 62.5 miles -- aiming to hit 68 miles -- today. They launched without a hitch, albeit a bit late, this morning and SS1 just separated and ignited its rockets!

More as it develops...

McC · Post by **McC** » 2004-06-21 11:13am

SpaceShipOne has passed the 62.5 mile point. The first privately funded person has reached space.

18-Till-I-Die · Post by **18-Till-I-Die** » 2004-06-21 11:17am

Kickass!

Now, if they could only build me a working Millennium Falcon, we'd be in business. I've been watching it on tv since they launched earlier this morning. Very interesting.

McC · Post by **McC** » 2004-06-21 11:17am

...and landed successfully

The Dark · Post by **The Dark** » 2004-06-21 11:20am

Ah, damn...I posted a landing thread in SLAM before I looked here.

Archaic` · Post by **Archaic`** » 2004-06-21 11:27am

Best of luck to them on capturing the X Prize

Stofsk · Post by **Stofsk** » 2004-06-21 11:38am

Well, I don't know which thread will be locked so I'll repeat my question: when is part two coming out? I mean, the x-prize.

Trytostaydead · Post by **Trytostaydead** » 2004-06-21 12:19pm

Apparently something buckled on the flight, I hope that's not a bad omen when they try to go for the X-prize. Anyone know what the deal is with their wing configuration that allows them to pass through the atmosphere without burning up?

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2004-06-21 12:29pm

This is not a qualifying flight because there is only one person onboard SS1. You need three.

Col. Crackpot · Post by **Col. Crackpot** » 2004-06-21 12:40pm

its about time! This is exactly what the space industry needs: the private sector. Hell, if the air indusrty remained in the hands of the government, we'd still be in biplanes.

McC · Post by **McC** » 2004-06-21 12:54pm

phongn wrote:This is not a qualifying flight because there is only one person onboard SS1. You need three.

It's not a qualifying flight for the X-prize, no. But it's a qualifying flight historically -- first civilian astronaut.

CaptainChewbacca · Post by **CaptainChewbacca** » 2004-06-21 01:18pm

phongn wrote:This is not a qualifying flight because there is only one person onboard SS1. You need three.

I was under the impression it only had to be able to carry three, but didn't have to actually carry three people.

McC · Post by **McC** » 2004-06-21 01:20pm

Needs to carry either three people or one person and the equivalent of two others (dummies, cargo, whatever)

Trytostaydead · Post by **Trytostaydead** » 2004-06-21 02:14pm

McC wrote:
phongn wrote:This is not a qualifying flight because there is only one person onboard SS1. You need three.
It's not a qualifying flight for the X-prize, no. But it's a qualifying flight historically -- first civilian astronaut.

No, there's been quite a few civilian astronauts already. First private manned space mission.

Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi · Post by **Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi** » 2004-06-21 03:18pm

Trytostaydead wrote:
McC wrote:
phongn wrote:This is not a qualifying flight because there is only one person onboard SS1. You need three.
It's not a qualifying flight for the X-prize, no. But it's a qualifying flight historically -- first civilian astronaut.
No, there's been quite a few civilian astronauts already. First private manned space mission.

I thought that there was only one civilian astronaut (Wasn't Dennis Tito his name?).

I'm wondering, now that they've made a sucessful flight, what are they planning to do next?

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2004-06-21 03:29pm

Col. Crackpot wrote:its about time! This is exactly what the space industry needs: the private sector. Hell, if the air indusrty remained in the hands of the government, we'd still be in biplanes.

The majority of space lift is done by the private sector, it's manned flight that has (until today) been the sole area of government (whether American, Russian or Chinese).

It's quite the accomplishment, but he has quite a ways to go until he can hit LEO (a lot more energy needed to head up that far).

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2004-06-21 03:47pm

I'm wondering if the new fuel they use is more efficient in that respect. It's certainly eco-friendly.

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2004-06-21 03:54pm

Admiral Valdemar wrote:I'm wondering if the new fuel they use is more efficient in that respect. It's certainly eco-friendly.

Even if it has greater fuel efficiency they'll still need a lot more to get to LEO.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2004-06-21 03:59pm

phongn wrote:
Admiral Valdemar wrote:I'm wondering if the new fuel they use is more efficient in that respect. It's certainly eco-friendly.
Even if it has greater fuel efficiency they'll still need a lot more to get to LEO.

Naturally, but this is a sub-orbital plane and so isn't going to go far. Going full blown orbital is beyond them now and the forseeable future. It may change when others see that sub-orbital is possible and put even more funding in.

Burak Gazan · Post by **Burak Gazan** » 2004-06-21 05:32pm

SpaceShipOne News

Official max alt 100.1241 km

that qualifies for astronaut wings.

The feathering technique for re-entry looks fine for sub-orbital, but not a chance for orbital re-entry (think someone at the press conference mentioned something like 8x the energy needed to reach orbital velocity) it does have the advantage of not requiring any pilot control. One neat thing that was noted this morning, was that this is the first supersonic aircraft to fly with cable and push-rod controls since the Bell X-1

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2004-06-21 05:42pm

Burak Gazan wrote:SpaceShipOne News

Official max alt 100.1241 km that qualifies for astronaut wings.

The feathering technique for re-entry looks fine for sub-orbital, but not a chance for orbital re-entry (think someone at the press conference mentioned something like 8x the energy needed to reach orbital velocity) it does have the advantage of not requiring any pilot control. One neat thing that was noted this morning, was that this is the first supersonic aircraft to fly with cable and push-rod controls since the Bell X-1

Well a sophisticated fly-by-wire system would be redundant on something that flies either straight up or down.

Burak Gazan · Post by **Burak Gazan** » 2004-06-21 06:57pm

Well, it does glide a long ways

*up to 60 miles apparently

Still is nice to see the KISS-principle in use though

Perinquus · Post by **Perinquus** » 2004-06-21 07:12pm

To Rutan, Melvill, and the others involved in the project:

And for myself:

This is possibly the first, tentative beginning of real, sustained, commercial exploitation of space, and space exploration. We'll never get the large orbital bases, lunar colonies, and other exploration missions we all dream about as long as space remains the province of the government. It's only when private enterprise gets involved, and finds a way to make it pay that we'll really get the ball rolling.

Perinquus · Post by **Perinquus** » 2004-06-21 07:13pm

Goddammit! Why did the pictures load in the preview, but not in the post?

McC · Post by **McC** » 2004-06-21 07:15pm

Perinquus wrote:This is possibly the first, tentative beginning of real, sustained, commercial exploitation of space, and space exploration. We'll never get the large orbital bases, lunar colonies, and other exploration missions we all dream about as long as space remains the province of the government. It's only when private enterprise gets involved, and finds a way to make it pay that we'll really get the ball rolling.

Shove one -- one asteroid from the asteroid belt into Earth orbit and the entire endeavor will pay for itself dozens of times over. The raw materials available in the asteroids would be well worth any private expenditure, as I understand it.