SpaceShipOne Takes Off Tomorrow

[cindy_k]

Scaled Composites is going to have a public test its entry for the X-Prize in the Desert in California. If it succeeds it will be the first fully private vehicle to enter space.

MSNBC is going to do a live webcast. I can't wait!

This is cool stuff!! :sohappy:

http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/SS1_preview_040619.html

Cindy in NY

[Edited to change Florida to California... must of had Florida on the brain.]

 

[DMC-12]

Should be interesting to see what happens... I will be following this closely as well. :sohappy:

 

[cloudboy]

What kind of impact do you think this will have if it succeeds? I know it is expensive, but it is a whole, whole lot cheaper than anythign government has done. I mean, if a private company can put a REUSABLE space craft into space a lot cheaper, what does that leave for the space program? Won't this have an enormous effect on companies looking to put sattelites into orbit?

 

[artvandelay]

What kind of impact do you think this will have if it succeeds? I know it is expensive, but it is a whole, whole lot cheaper than anythign government has done. I mean, if a private company can put a REUSABLE space craft into space a lot cheaper, what does that leave for the space program? Won't this have an enormous effect on companies looking to put sattelites into orbit?

Absolutely. If private companies can launch sattelites cheaper than NASA can, that's great. It's competition, and it generally leads to lower costs, efficiency, and technological leaps to keep ahead of your competiton.

 

[speck76]

The real test is not today, I read that the deal is that it needs to be ready to fly again within a short time, like 2 weeks, and it must go a certain distance, and carry 3 people...that is, if it wants to win the X-prize, and get major funding. (The shuttle was supposed to be able to do this (short turn-around), but it never worked out that way.)



Oh, BTW, there is another lauch today in FL

CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION: A Delta 2 rocket carrying a military Global Positioning System satellite is set to lift off today between 7:02 and 7:29 p.m.

 

[StevenT]

SpaceShipOne is officially the first private spacecraft to leave the atmosphere.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/space/06/21/suborbital.test/index.html

 

[cindy_k]

The real test is not today, I read that the deal is that it needs to be ready to fly again within a short time, like 2 weeks, and it must go a certain distance, and carry 3 people...that is, if it wants to win the X-prize, and get major funding. (The shuttle was supposed to be able to do this (short turn-around), but it never worked out that way.)

Yeah, today was just a test flight. They flew the distance, 62 miles I think it is.

For the X-Prize they have to fly with 3 people in the plane instead of just the one, that they had today and they have to do it again with 2 weeks of that flight.

They did have a small problem today, a panel near the engine buckled during firing. It didn't effect the flight but I imagine they will be doing some hard looking at it before their next flight.

Have Fun!
Cindy in NY

 

[cloudboy]

So this is not the one that wins them $10 mil. It still is a rather extraordinary thing. I mean, how much does NASA spedn to get something up into space, and then this little company goes ahead and launches this cute simple machine with half the stuff NASA requires for under $30 million? And it's REUSABLE! (how about that for NASA?

Fact is there is it is pretty close to being a useful altitude where you can put things into orbit. And it also takes us a step closer to things such as the hyper-space plane - there is a lot less air resistance up ther - is this in fact the sfirst step to getting a couple hour NYC-TOKYO trip?

Somehow it just hit me yeasterday how big a deal this is.