SpaceShipOne Captures the X Prize 896
I got to Mojave yesterday evening (it's a long way from El Paso), slept in my car, and got to the airfield itself just before 4 a.m. Traffic on state highway 58 was brisk already, though not clogged (which it later became), and nearly every car was turning onto the two-lane entrance heading for acres of packed-dirt parking spaces near the runway from which SpaceShipOne would take off.
The crowd which built up in the following hours was surprisingly quiet on takeoff, which happened right at 7:45 local time. Not exactly hushed -- perhaps "hesitant" is a better word, or maybe just waking up. Only scattered clapping (guilty!) as the White Knight / SpaceShipOne piggyback duo lifted off, followed shortly by two chase planes, an AlphaJet and a Beechcraft Starship. The enthusiasm grew, though, as the flight progressed; a P.A. system kept the spectators informed of the trip's progress.
When SpaceShipOne finally separated and fired upward ("Good release, good release!" over the P.A, followed by enthusiastic cheering), it was after three separate two-minute warnings, then for one-minute and 30-second intervals. After an 84-second burn followed by a clean shutdown, SpaceShipOne coasted to its final altitude. At 90 seconds into the flight, the ship was well past 100,000 feet, and out of sight to the unaided eye. At 7:51, an altitude of 328,000 feet was reported, but the ship was still climbing for the next 40,000 feet under its own momentum. The reported peak altitude is enough to top the previous record, set by an X-15 at 354,200 ft. in 1963.
The descent was happily uneventful. At 60,000 feet, Binnie experienced "slight oscillations" -- consistent with previous flights, according to the announcer, who continued to count down the altitude. At approximately 45,000 feet, the conditions are right for contrails, and more cheering erupted when those popped into view. The crowd perked up and cheered even more with the first of two sonic booms audible on the ground (the booms that occur during ascent aren't), pointing and shading their eyes from the sun, following the ship as it traveled in wide arcs to bleed off the energy of the ascent, followed by a smooth 3-point landing.
(Special thanks to the members of the Foothill High School band who traveled the three hours from Orange County to watch the flight and play both before and after the flight. The launch itself was surprisingly low on ceremony, and their playing provided a bit of well-deserved pomp.)
Binnie has to survive for 24 hours (Score:5, Funny)
Old News. (Score:5, Funny)
Actually they have not won yet. (Score:4, Funny)
Even as we speak Spaceship ones competitors are arranging a hit......
Nice (Score:1, Funny)
Way to Go Scaled Composites!!! (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Summer Vacation In Outer Space (Score:5, Funny)
"I'm sorry sir, your bags went to Uranus."
"D'Oh!"
extra weight (Score:5, Funny)
now today will forever be a dual anniversary (Score:5, Funny)
Soviet Russia and Capitalist America, forever entwined by space history.
Re:Summer Vacation In Outer Space (Score:5, Funny)
Oh, and cost US$200,000
And have a non-trivial chance of killing you
Other than that, I'm totally there dude!
--
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Re:Old News. (Score:5, Funny)
At least we got the news today instead of next week. Although we'll probably also get this report next week.
Re:Obligatory.... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Summer Vacation In Outer Space (Score:3, Funny)
Oh, and cost US$200,000
And have a non-trivial chance of killing you
Other than that, I'm totally there dude!
It's space exploration... to the max!!!!1!!!
Holy shit... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Summer Vacation In Outer Space (Score:5, Funny)
Re:328,000 ft in miles (Score:2, Funny)
doh.
Historical moment (Score:5, Funny)
Re:extra weight (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Holy shit... (Score:3, Funny)
There's actually going to be a company called "Virgin Galactic" in my lifetime.
Who else was disappointed after mistakenly reading about this new "Galactic Virgins" company?
from the it-takes-2-to-make-a-thing-go-right dept. (Score:3, Funny)
In a rare break of Microsoft solidarity, Steve Ballmer says most people flying to space are stowaways and Microsoft will lead the way to space. "There is no way you can get there with NASA. The critical mass has to come from the PC, or a next generation lift-off device."
Re:Summer Vacation In Outer Space (Score:2, Funny)
I'd say that the chance of dying is more than trivial, we all know about Microsoft products crashing at launch.
Re:Obligatory.... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Watched it live.. (Score:1, Funny)
Well it's about time.
Think I can get the rest of today off?
Re:Binnie has to survive for 24 hours (Score:5, Funny)
Yeah, but bullets generally come in boxes of 10 or 20.
Hmmm... (Score:4, Funny)
-Fight Club
Re:Passengers (Score:2, Funny)
Much less two of them.
Re:Summer Vacation In Outer Space (Score:3, Funny)
How long before someone straps a board to their feet and hops out capturing the X-treme X-Prize?
I think it is a Hoax (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Summer Vacation In Outer Space (Score:5, Funny)
Do you jump in your car and innovate home?
If I built the car from parts I mostly designed myself, then yeah, I innovate to work and back.
Re:Summer Vacation In Outer Space (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Summer Vacation In Outer Space (Score:5, Funny)
This post is about SpaceShipOne, REAL SpaceShipOne. This post is awesome. My name is James and I can't stop thinking about SpaceShipOne. This ship is cool; and by cool, I mean totally sweet.
Facts:
1. SpaceShipOne is a spaceship
2. SpaceShipOne flies into space ALL the time.
3. The purpose of SpaceShipOne is to flip out and do barrel rolls
Weapons and gear:
Rubber powered rocket
White Knight mothership
Floating M&Ms
Testimonial:
SpaceShipOne can fly anywhere it wants! SpaceShipOne sonic booms ALL the time and doesn't even think twice about it. This ship is so crazy and awesome that it barrel rolls ALL the time. I heard that this guy was flying SpaceShipOne. And when some dude launched the rocket the SpaceShipOne started oscillating like crazy. My friend Chico said he saw M&Ms totally float inside SpaceShipOne just because it was in a parabolic arc.
And that's what I call REAL ULTIMATE POWER!!!!!!!
If you don't believe that SpaceShipOne has REAL ULTIMATE POWER you better get a life right now or they will win the x-prize. It's an easy choice, if you ask me.
SpaceShipOne is sooooooooooo sweet that I want to crap my pants. I can't belive it sometimes, but I feel it inside my heart. SpaceShipOne is totally awesome and that's a fact. SpaceShipOne is fast, cool, strong, powerful, sexy, and 31337. I can't wait to start watching my Star Wars DVD next month. I love SpaceShipOne with all of my body (including my pee pee).
Re:Summer Vacation In Outer Space (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Summer Vacation In Outer Space (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Summer Vacation In Outer Space (Score:3, Funny)
Professor: I'm sorry, Fry, but astronomers renamed Uranus in 2620 to end that stupid joke once and for all.
Fry: Oh. What's it called now?
Professor: Urectum. Here, let me locate it for you.
Re:Summer Vacation In Outer Space (Score:3, Funny)
That should be awesome!
Especially since the lesbian friend's girlfriend is bi- and wants me. yay!