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SpaceShipOne takes off
« on: Oct 4th, 2004, 9:27am » |
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SpaceShipOne takes off toward X Prize goal
One flight away for private spacecraft to win $10 million prize
By Michael Coren
CNN
Monday, October 4, 2004 Posted: 10:00 AM EDT (1400 GMT)
MOJAVE DESERT, California (CNN) -- SpaceShipOne has taken off from its Mojave Desert airstrip in California this morning on its flight to claim the $10 million Ansari X Prize.
If it goes well, the craft will trace a graceful arc at least 62 miles (328,000 feet) above the Earth carrying test pilot Brian Binnie, 51, and the weight of two passengers to the edge of space.
It could also be the most lucrative 3 1/2 minutes in space for the Mojave Aerospace Ventures Team.
Spacecraft designer Burt Rutan told a crowd gathered at his home in the Mojave Desert on Sunday that he was confident of the success of today's flight -- and winning the $10 million Ansari X Prize check.
After some unexpected acrobatics during the last flight, Rutan said Monday's would be a smooth flight, but he was prepared for stability issues.
"We believe we have solved these and we don't believe we'll see the rolls tomorrow," he said. "But if we do, we don't believe they're dangerous. ... After all, what we're doing is research."
Binnie, who piloted the first powered SpaceShipOne launch, will be at the helm of the craft after it is released from the belly of a turbojet called White Knight at about 50,000 feet. Within seconds after igniting its rocket, it will begin a vertical ascent traveling faster than a bullet out of a rifle.
Following its 90-second rocket burn, SpaceShipOne will hit a top speed of about Mach 3.5, or more than three times the speed of sound, before soaring through about three minutes of weightlessness. The craft will then drop toward earth. The sequence takes about 90 minutes.
The spacecraft is outfitted with a stronger engine and some aerodynamic modifications from its first record-breaking flight into space on June 21.
Pilot Mike Melvill flew the craft's first mission to space and reached, just barely, the required 62-mile altitude, passing the internationally recognized boundary of space. Wind shear and a jammed control on the tail meant the craft veered about 20 miles off course, but it returned for a smooth landing. It was only SpaceShipOne's fourth flight using the rocket engine
On Wednesday, SpaceShipOne streaked even higher to 337, 569 feet (64 miles). However, during its ascent, the private spacecraft began a series of rolls that Melvill brought under control only after ending the rocket burn 11 seconds early.
Today's suborbital flight is the second within two weeks needed to win the X Prize for the desert workshop of pilots and engineers who have continually pushed the envelope.
SpaceShipOne's thrust is provided by two innocuous substances that, when mixed together, are explosive: nitrous oxide and rubber.
A fuel tank about six feet in diameter at the center of the craft holds liquid nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas. A hollow tube leading from the tank to the engine nozzle is filled with solid rubber. The combustive combination produces thousands of pounds of thrust, although exact amount remains secret.
Most importantly, says aerospace engineer and spacecraft designer Rutan, it has opened the world -- and a private market -- to spaceflight.
"I strongly feel that, if we are successful, our program will mark the beginning of a renaissance for manned space flight," said Rutan in an X Prize statement.
Peter Diamandis, co-founder of the X Prize Foundation, said the $10 million award is intended to spur civilian spaceflight. The nonprofit X Prize Foundation is sponsoring the contest to promote the development of a low-cost, efficient craft for space tourism in the same way prize competitions stimulated commercial aviation in the early 20th century. The prize is fully funded through the end of the year
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