the auroran sunset (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} tithonus) wrote,@ 2004-05-19 00:22:00 |
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| Current mood: |  tired |
| Current music: | Supertramp - The Logical Song |
| Entry tags: | private spaceflight, spaceshipone |
private spaceflight nearing the big-time
the age of private spaceflight is almost here, barring a major hiccup.
Given all the rocket plane activity at the Mojave Airport, steps have been taken to have the facility certified as a spaceport.
as usual you can follow this stuff in more detail on samizdata:
On May 13th, Mike Melville piloted Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne to an altitude of 40 miles. At 50 miles a USAF pilot would be granted their Astronaut Wings. The Federation Aeronautique International (FAI) defines the boundary of space as 100 kilometers, just over 62 miles.
[...]
The previous test flight on April 8 reached just under 20 miles. It seems certain they will cross the 50 miles 'astronaut' threshold sometime in June unless detailed examination of test data or post-flight inspection of the vehicle turn up a serious problem.
Given the progress of the current test campaign, I expect the the FAI altitude will be reached no later than July: sooner if test results and vehicle condition allow it. In the best case they will cross both altitude thresholds in June and will make the Ansari Prize (X-Prize) winning flights in July or August
[...]
I believe they will make at least one flight over 62 miles on July 20th, the 35th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on the moon.
[...]
The previous test flight on April 8 reached just under 20 miles. It seems certain they will cross the 50 miles 'astronaut' threshold sometime in June unless detailed examination of test data or post-flight inspection of the vehicle turn up a serious problem.
Given the progress of the current test campaign, I expect the the FAI altitude will be reached no later than July: sooner if test results and vehicle condition allow it. In the best case they will cross both altitude thresholds in June and will make the Ansari Prize (X-Prize) winning flights in July or August
[...]
I believe they will make at least one flight over 62 miles on July 20th, the 35th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on the moon.
the image is of one of the scaled composites' vehicles; i'm not sure if it is actually spaceshipone or not. you can get a bigger image by clicking on it. you can find more pictures by going up a directory.
if all goes well, it won't be long before the likes of nasa, and other hugely bloated and inefficient government attempts at space exploitation, are relegated to the bad old days. about bluddy time too!
