SpaceShipOne Makes History with First Manned Private Spaceflight

From Space.com:

SpaceShipOne Makes History: First Manned Private Spaceflight
By Leonard David

MOJAVE, CALIFORNIA – The first non-governmental rocket ship flew to the edge of space today and was piloted to a safe landing on a desert airport runway here.

Civilian test pilot, now turned astronaut Mike Melvill brought SpaceShipOne down to the Mojave Airport tarmac after flying to 100 kilometers (62 miles) in altitude, leaving the Earth’s atmosphere during his history-making sub-orbital space ride.

After touchdown, Melvill rolled past thousands of spectators in the early morning Sun, flashing the thumbs up. Then he got out and spoke to the cheering crowd.

"The flight was spectacular," Melvill said. "Looking out that window, seeing the white clouds in the LA Basin, it looked like snow on the ground."

Roaring to life

Take-off occurred at about 9:45 a.m. ET, or 6:45 a.m. local time, with SpaceShipOne tucked under the White Knight carrier craft.

Once set free an hour later, and after a few seconds of glide control at around 47,000 feet, Melvill ignited SpaceShipOne’s hybrid rocket motor. From the ground, flame and smoke could be seen as the rocket plane roared to life and shot upward through Mojave Desert skies. Slicing skyward and outside the Earth’s atmosphere, the vehicle and pilot spent about three minutes in freefall weightlessness.

"As I got to the top I released a bag of M&Ms in the cockpit. It was amazing," said Melvill, 62.

During the reentry process, Melvill flipped SpaceShipOne’s large tail section up, a step needed to slow the vehicle down as it nosed itself toward a terra firm touchdown.

After the speed-reducing maneuver, SpaceShipOne’s tail piece was put back into glide mode. The vehicle circled overhead as onlookers who had filled up local motels and camped at the airport cheered. The craft landed at around 11:15 a.m. ET directly in front of a public viewing area on the same runway on which it took off roughly an hour and a half earlier.

Melvill reported hearing a bang during the high-altitude portion of the flight. Something was seen hanging from the bottom of the craft at the landing site. There appeared to be damage at or near the left rear landing gear, but it was not clear if it had anything to do with the bang.

Step-by-step test program

Scaled Composites, designer and builder of the rocket plane, say the successful mission will "demonstrate that the space frontier is finally open to private enterprise."

"This event could be the breakthrough that will enable space access for future generations," a pre-launch Scaled Composites press statement explains.

Microsoft cofounder turned investor and philanthropist, Paul Allen is the behind-the-scenes financial backer of the project, joining forces with aviation designer, Burt Rutan, chief of Scaled Composites.

"It's hard for me to talk right now," Rutan said moments after the landing. He said he was very pleased with the flight and called the landing "beautiful."

Melvill, a test pilot and vice president-general manager of Scaled Composites, called the flight a mind-blowing experience. "It all worked exactly as you told us," he said to Rutan. When asked what he would do next, Melvill said: "I think I'll back off a little bit and ride my bike."

High-altitude record

Since the White Knight carrier plane first took to the air in early August 2002, a step-by-step test program has been instituted by Scaled Composites. To date, given today’s success, there have been 57 flights of hardware associated with this morning’s mission of SpaceShipOne.

The rocket plane itself has now undertaken a series of 14 piloted captive carry, free-flight, and four engine-powered missions. Today’s event marked the highest-altitude ever reached by a non-government aerospace program.

SpaceShipOne project officials have already begun gearing up for flying back-to-back missions of the craft in order to snag the $10 million Ansari X Prize. This international competition can be won by the first team to create a reusable aircraft that can launch three passengers into sub-orbital space, return them safely home, then repeat the launch within two weeks with the same vehicle.

Anthony Duignan-Cabrera contributed to this report from the Mojave Airport.

  ¶ 1:43 PM