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Private Rocket SpaceShipOne Makes Third Rocket-Powered Flight



 
 
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  #1  
Old May 13th 04, 10:53 PM
Rusty B
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Default Private Rocket SpaceShipOne Makes Third Rocket-Powered Flight

Private Rocket SpaceShipOne Makes Third Rocket-Powered Flight

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...oweredfl ight

By Leonard David
Senior Space Writer, SPACE.com


UPDATED: Story first posted at 12:20 p.m. EDT, May 13, 2004


Chalk up another booming flight of the privately-backed SpaceShipOne,
the piloted rocket plane designed to soar to the edge of space and
glide to a runway landing.


With pilot Mike Melvill at the controls -- following release from the
White Knight turbojet-powered launch aircraft high above the Mojave,
California desert -- SpaceShipOne punched through the sky today
boosted by a hybrid propellant rocket motor.


Scaled Composites of Mojave is the builder of SpaceShipOne, an effort
led by aviation innovator, Burt Rutan. The financial backer of the
project is Microsoft mogul, Paul Allen.


In a post-flight statement from the company, the SpaceShipOne team
reported that their space plane flew to 212,000 feet altitude, almost
41 miles. NASA (news - web sites) awards astronaut status to anyone
who flies above 50 miles in altitude.


"This flight marks an additional milestone for Paul G. Allen, Burt
Rutan and the innovative aerospace design team in their ongoing
efforts to complete the first non-government manned space flight. The
test is part of Scaled Composites' Tier One program, funded by Allen,
Microsoft co-founder and CEO of Vulcan Inc.," according to the
statement.


Today's flight builds upon a progression of 13 shakeout tests, mostly
un-powered drop glides along with two engine-thrusting runs. The White
Knight took off with SpaceShipOne at around 10:30 a.m. EDT today with
the rocket plane landing an the ground a little after 12 noon.


"The SpaceShipOne team will announce the results of this test flight
once it has completed an analysis of the data," explained the Scaled
Composites release, adding: "The future's looking up...way up!"


Hot pursuit


SpaceShipOne's first powered mission took place on December 17, 2003,
with the hybrid motor firing for 15 seconds. A second powered flight
occurred on April 8th of this year. In that trek, the motor burned for
40 seconds. A major contractor for the hybrid motor used in the rocket
plane is SpaceDev of Poway, California.


Routine recording of multiple video streams on board White Knight and
on SpaceShipOne are expected to help in pilot and engineering
evaluation of the flight.


Ecliptic Enterprises Corporation of Pasadena, California provides the
critical camera gear. They are also supplier of the RocketCam line of
onboard video systems used on rockets, spacecraft and other remote
platforms.


The step-by-step SpaceShipOne missions are keyed to winning the Ansari
X Prize, a $10 million purse offered by the X Prize Foundation of St.
Louis, Missouri. For the cash prize, however, the clock is running as
the $10 million purse expires January 1, 2005.


The Ansari X Prize money is to be awarded to the first company or
organization to launch a vehicle capable of carrying three people to a
height of 62.5 miles (100 kilometers), then return safely to Earth,
and repeat the flight with the same vehicle within two weeks.


Twenty-seven teams from around the globe are vying for the Ansari X
Prize contest. The competition is modeled on the $25,000 Orteig Prize
- won by Charles Lindbergh after winging his Spirit of St. Louis
airplane solo from New York to Paris in 1927.


Federal go-ahead


On April 1, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced it
had issued to Scaled Composites the world's first license for a
sub-orbital manned rocket flight.





The license came via the DOT's Federal Aviation Administration (news -
web sites)'s Office of Commercial Space Transportation. This federal
paperwork gave Scaled Composites the go-ahead to fly a string of
sub-orbital flights for a one-year period - the first license to
authorize piloted flight on a sub-orbital trajectory.

XCOR Aerospace, also of Mojave, California, announced in April it had
received a Reusable Launch Vehicle mission license from the FAA's
Office of Commercial Space Transportation. That license is the first
for a reusable launch vehicle (RLV) that is launched and recovered
from the ground. Additionally, XCOR is now authorized to test RLV
technologies prior to suborbital passenger travel. The company is not
in the competition for the Ansari X Prize.

XCOR's launch license is for a technology test vehicle. The license
does not yet cover passenger operations. It does, however, permit
revenue-generating payload flights after initial tests are completed.
"A significant feature of the license is that it allows the pilot to
do an incremental series of flight tests -- without preplanning each
trajectory," said XCOR Government Liaison Randall Clague in a press
statement.

Mojave mojo

Given all the rocket plane activity at the Mojave Airport, steps have
been taken to have the facility certified as a spaceport.

Stuart Witt, General Manager of the Mojave Airport, envisions the site
busily handling the horizontal launchings and landings of reusable
spacecraft.

Witt said the FAA's Office of Commercial Space Transportation is
reviewing an application to license Mojave Airport as an inland
spaceport. In fact, the airport is already a natural center for
research and development and certification programs, such as the
rocket plane work of Scaled Composites and XCOR Aerospace.

Many see Mojave Airport as a magical nexus for safe, smooth
coordination of general aviation activity and private aerospace
development.

Mojave Airport, also tagged the nation's Civilian Flight Test Center,
is situated away from major metropolitan areas, while being located
near Edwards and China Lake military test ranges.

"Certainly Mojave is a premier location due to its proximity to the
Edwards Air Force Base restricted areas," Burt Rutan told SPACE.com .

Adds Aleta Jackson, an XCOR Aerospace executive: "We look forward to
flying our licensed spacecraft from the Mojave Spaceport." The town of
Mojave -- as well as the County of Kern -- plan to help support the
spaceport, such as designating land use that is compatible with an
active spaceport, she said.
  #4  
Old May 14th 04, 02:53 PM
Rand Simberg
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Default Private Rocket SpaceShipOne Makes Third Rocket-Powered Flight

On 14 May 2004 02:09:52 -0700, in a place far, far away,
(Al Jackson) made the phosphor on my monitor glow in
such a way as to indicate that:

The company is not
in the competition for the Ansari X Prize.


Then why are they listed on the X-prize page as one of the competition teams?


They're not.
  #5  
Old May 14th 04, 10:02 PM
Fred K.
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Default Private Rocket SpaceShipOne Makes Third Rocket-Powered Flight

Aleta wrote:

Who cares about astronaut wings? Let's make a new designation, such as space man
or space flight participant or such. Let astronaut and cosmonaut stand for
government programs. Make a new word for the people who are paying their own
way, whether by building it themselves or buying a ride.



I concur. Let's brain storm:
(I admit that I prefer the PC incorrect "man" to
person etc, etc)

* Privateer (arrrr mate-y)
* RocketMan
* TopNaut
* Spaceman
* Spacenaut
* Person of Space (Politically Correct?)

Space Tourist kind of captures things nicely too.
  #7  
Old May 15th 04, 11:08 AM
Bruce Hoult
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Default Private Rocket SpaceShipOne Makes Third Rocket-Powered Flight

In article ,
(Al Jackson) wrote:

h (Rand Simberg) wrote in message
...
On 14 May 2004 02:09:52 -0700, in a place far, far away,
(Al Jackson) made the phosphor on my monitor glow in
such a way as to indicate that:

The company is not
in the competition for the Ansari X Prize.


Then why are they listed on the X-prize page as one of the competition
teams?


They're not.


If on the Team page you count up 6 from the bottom, who's name is that?


http://www.xprize.org/teams/teams.html


That's Scaled Composites, who are certainly in the X-Prize -- in fact
they are the odds on favourite at the moment.

You, however, were asking about XCOR Aerospace, who are not competing
for the X-Prize.

I quote your previous message in full:

(Rusty B) wrote in message
. com...
Private Rocket SpaceShipOne Makes Third Rocket-Powered Flight


XCOR Aerospace, also of Mojave, California, announced in April it had
received a Reusable Launch Vehicle mission license from the FAA's
Office of Commercial Space Transportation. That license is the first
for a reusable launch vehicle (RLV) that is launched and recovered
from the ground. Additionally, XCOR is now authorized to test RLV
technologies prior to suborbital passenger travel. The company is not
in the competition for the Ansari X Prize.


Then why are they listed on the X-prize page as one of the competition teams?


OK?

-- Bruce
  #9  
Old May 15th 04, 05:36 PM
Rand Simberg
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Private Rocket SpaceShipOne Makes Third Rocket-Powered Flight

On 15 May 2004 02:36:18 -0700, in a place far, far away,
(Al Jackson) made the phosphor on my monitor glow in
such a way as to indicate that:

The company is not
in the competition for the Ansari X Prize.


Then why are they listed on the X-prize page as one of the competition teams?


They're not.


If on the Team page you count up 6 from the bottom, who's name is that?


http://www.xprize.org/teams/teams.html

In my browser, it says "Scaled Composites," not XCOR. When I do a
Ctrl-F search for XCOR it comes up empty.

Which browser are *you* using?
  #10  
Old May 15th 04, 08:02 PM
Al Jackson
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Posts: n/a
Default Private Rocket SpaceShipOne Makes Third Rocket-Powered Flight

Bruce Hoult wrote in message ...
In article ,
(Al Jackson) wrote:

h (Rand Simberg) wrote in message
...
On 14 May 2004 02:09:52 -0700, in a place far, far away,
(Al Jackson) made the phosphor on my monitor glow in
such a way as to indicate that:

The company is not
in the competition for the Ansari X Prize.


Then why are they listed on the X-prize page as one of the competition
teams?

They're not.


If on the Team page you count up 6 from the bottom, who's name is that?


http://www.xprize.org/teams/teams.html


That's Scaled Composites, who are certainly in the X-Prize -- in fact
they are the odds on favourite at the moment.

You, however, were asking about XCOR Aerospace, who are not competing
for the X-Prize.

I quote your previous message in full:

(Rusty B) wrote in message
. com...
Private Rocket SpaceShipOne Makes Third Rocket-Powered Flight


XCOR Aerospace, also of Mojave, California, announced in April it had
received a Reusable Launch Vehicle mission license from the FAA's
Office of Commercial Space Transportation. That license is the first
for a reusable launch vehicle (RLV) that is launched and recovered
from the ground. Additionally, XCOR is now authorized to test RLV
technologies prior to suborbital passenger travel. The company is not
in the competition for the Ansari X Prize.


Then why are they listed on the X-prize page as one of the competition teams?


OK?

-- Bruce


Opps!
 




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