Rutan's SpaceshipOne Hits 200,000 Feet

An anonymous reader writes "Burt Rutan's privately-built SpaceshipOne is one step closer to winning the X-Prize after zooming to what witnesses say was somewhere around 200,000 feet on only its third powered flight. (See also the partial update from Scaled Composites.)"

Sounds like...

[brejc8]

Rutan's SpaceshipOne Hits 200,000 Feet
As it launched it turned 90 degrees and skimmed along an inch off the ground through the croud.

There should have been an earth shattering ka-boom

[StarWynd]

Chalk up another booming flight of the privately-backed SpaceShipOne

I don't know about everyone else, but I just hate it when my spaceship goes *boom*.

Let me guess

[Rosco P. Coltrane]

Rutan's SpaceshipOne Hits 200,000 Feet

So, did he make a quarter of the population of Mojave line up along the road and drive over their feet with the truck carrying SpaceShipOne?

The final countdown

[Anonymous Coward]

Do the other teams go around hoping it will explode? That the pilot will break a leg? Just what is the socially accepted way to hope your competition fails?

Spaceship One

[ACNeal]

Isn't that the name of the space ship Andy Griffith made to go get the garbage off the moon?

Not the best way to determine altitude

[Anonymous Coward]

after zooming to what witnesses say was somewhere around 200,000 feet ...

Witnesses looking up into the sky:
"Wow, that looks like, what, about 100,000 ..."
"Nah, looks more like, I'd say 200,000 feet to me."
"Ya, about 200,000 feet looks right."

Thanks !

[AtariAmarok]

You've brought back many a memory of model rocketry. Bless the memory of Vern Estes.

I misread that at first ...

[burgburgburg]

and I couldn't help but be impressed that Bhutan [cia.gov] had produced a rocket that capable in a country that small.

Oh, well.

Packing

[Anonymous Coward]

Don't forget to bring a towel!

Re:Paid by the microsoft tax

[Rosco P. Coltrane]

Keep in mind that this was paid by the Microsoft tax often ridiculed by slashdotters....

Well, the Linux community can do just as well [allposters.com]!

Re:geez

[Mattcelt]

but what is 3 miles between slashdot posters?

Not enough.

Re:Two thirds of the way there...

[the_mad_poster]

I get the distinct feeling this one is going to win it very soon.

In other news, Dewey has been pronounced the winner in a major victory over Harry S. Truman.

It ain't over 'till the fat lady sings :)

Re:Just think

[WaxParadigm]

They could sell this Technology to the NKoreans and then they would have a working ICBM.

Not just an ICBM but a manned ICBM. You can imagine the intense competition for that job.

Re:geez-- employee of NASA??

[peragrin]

he said 93Miles 150 KM not 93 km. if minimum stable orbit is 350km what is it in miles?

You must work for NASA right?

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:Two thirds of the way there...

[nacturation]

For people using real standards, 200.000 feet is 60.960 meter

Kilometers.

No... meters. Most places in Europe use a decimal point as the thousands separator -- so $10,000.00 here becomes $10.000,00 in Europe. But even if you ignore this fact, the original poster is still correct. After all, 200.000 feet (200 feet to six significant digits) is equal to 60.960 meters (60 meters, 96.0 centimeters).

Of course, in North American-speak, he meant that 200,000 feet is 60,960 meters.

Re:Info from Scaled Composites

[Drunken_Jackass]

Damn.

Third flight of the aircraft, with your primary display out, counting on a reboot to bring it back for the landing.

That pilot sure has a pair.

Airport city to be renamed!

[Archangel Michael]

to ....... Mos Eisley

Re:Just think

[Anonymous Coward]

Or they could sell it to NASA. I hear they're looking for a reliable, reusable spacecraft.

Re:Thanks !

[ShortSpecialBus]

You can't forget the father of modern pocket rocketry, Hugh G. Rection