212,000 ft and Privately built
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Anyone got a link to better video coverage of the event?
The live streaming stuff was frankly pathetic with postage stamp resolution and no shots from the chase planes.
One thing struck me watching the news though - the pilot opened and tipped out a whole packet of M&Ms while weightless. Now I know the chances of one of those getting stuck in a control or causing a distraction later in the flight is pretty low, but I was amazed that a test pilot would take a risk he didn't have to take just for a frivolous stunt. I wouldn't even do that in my Cessna 152!
- Michael
The live streaming stuff was frankly pathetic with postage stamp resolution and no shots from the chase planes.
One thing struck me watching the news though - the pilot opened and tipped out a whole packet of M&Ms while weightless. Now I know the chances of one of those getting stuck in a control or causing a distraction later in the flight is pretty low, but I was amazed that a test pilot would take a risk he didn't have to take just for a frivolous stunt. I wouldn't even do that in my Cessna 152!
- Michael
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He had 3 minutes to eat them all 
plenty!
Just kidding
It seems they had problem with the trim aswell, so Mike cut the flight short and went over to a backup system, still making the 212000' cut-off! What a cool dude this chap is!
plenty!Just kidding
It seems they had problem with the trim aswell, so Mike cut the flight short and went over to a backup system, still making the 212000' cut-off! What a cool dude this chap is!
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when i was watching the coverage on the beeb they said that Rutan is keeping the exact altitude they went to a secret. Is this true or not, and if so why was that.
As an aside to win the X prize the aircraft needs to make two flights in a week. Do they need to carry to passengers as well, or does it just have to be capable of carrying 2 pax and a pilot. Basically does this count as the first of the 2 flights??
Whatever the outcome for the rest, well done guys for being there first!
As an aside to win the X prize the aircraft needs to make two flights in a week. Do they need to carry to passengers as well, or does it just have to be capable of carrying 2 pax and a pilot. Basically does this count as the first of the 2 flights??
Whatever the outcome for the rest, well done guys for being there first!
Do a Hover - it avoids G
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I wouldn't even do that in my Cessna 152!
Excellent result! Well done to the whole team!
Was hoping to watch it live - but MSNBC failed to load and both BBC24 and Sky News had live coverage of that tw@t Blair
I remember the days of Sputnik 1, Sputnik 2, Laika, Vostok 1, Yuri Gagarin, Alan Shepherd, Valentina Tereschkova, Mercury, Gemini, Apollo - even STS1. But live coverage of the most important aerospace event since the Wright Brothers? Too much to ask for - the BBC pansies had BLOODY TENNIS on both channels.
Is there really so little interest in such truly pioneering achievements nowadays? Digiyoof probably thought it was created on a computer.....
Was hoping to watch it live - but MSNBC failed to load and both BBC24 and Sky News had live coverage of that tw@t Blair
I remember the days of Sputnik 1, Sputnik 2, Laika, Vostok 1, Yuri Gagarin, Alan Shepherd, Valentina Tereschkova, Mercury, Gemini, Apollo - even STS1. But live coverage of the most important aerospace event since the Wright Brothers? Too much to ask for - the BBC pansies had BLOODY TENNIS on both channels.
Is there really so little interest in such truly pioneering achievements nowadays? Digiyoof probably thought it was created on a computer.....
None but a blockhead
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Wasn't all fun and games...
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996052 says
"'Anomalies' in first private spaceflight revealed
12:27 22 June 04
NewScientist.com news service
The flight of the first private astronaut was not as perfect as it first appeared – a number of glitches occurred during the flight, some potentially catastrophic.
The revelations were made by Burt Rutan, designer of SpaceShipOne, which on Monday became the world's first privately funded craft to enter space. Until the team fully understands exactly what went wrong during the flight, he said, they will not go ahead with the pair of flights needed to claim the $10 million Ansari X-Prize.
Luckily, the glitches did not prevent a successful flight. But pilot Mike Melvill said that a partial failure of the system controlling the spacecraft's orientation could have been disastrous if it had occurred just slightly earlier in the flight"
The article goes on to discuss problems with attitude and uncontrolled rolling at various stages in the flight, and I read elsewhere that they only got some 200 metres above the 'start of space' height - and I don't know the tolerances on how they measured that. So perhaps they're not sure themselves that they made it (not that it particularly matters).
Apparently, it's still quite dangerous to strap yourself into a home-made rocket and head on up to space at Mach 3,2!
R
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996052 says
"'Anomalies' in first private spaceflight revealed
12:27 22 June 04
NewScientist.com news service
The flight of the first private astronaut was not as perfect as it first appeared – a number of glitches occurred during the flight, some potentially catastrophic.
The revelations were made by Burt Rutan, designer of SpaceShipOne, which on Monday became the world's first privately funded craft to enter space. Until the team fully understands exactly what went wrong during the flight, he said, they will not go ahead with the pair of flights needed to claim the $10 million Ansari X-Prize.
Luckily, the glitches did not prevent a successful flight. But pilot Mike Melvill said that a partial failure of the system controlling the spacecraft's orientation could have been disastrous if it had occurred just slightly earlier in the flight"
The article goes on to discuss problems with attitude and uncontrolled rolling at various stages in the flight, and I read elsewhere that they only got some 200 metres above the 'start of space' height - and I don't know the tolerances on how they measured that. So perhaps they're not sure themselves that they made it (not that it particularly matters).
Apparently, it's still quite dangerous to strap yourself into a home-made rocket and head on up to space at Mach 3,2!
R
Apparently, it's still quite dangerous to strap yourself into a home-made rocket and head on up to space at Mach 3,2!
Seriously, this wasn't a "botch it together and see what happens" job, and I'm sure we all recognise that. Nonetheless, I've never heard of the first live run of something that takes this big a step forward being trouble-free, except at the senior management and press briefings.
My first degree was in astronautics, so unsurprisingly I know a few people in the trade. The phone has been red hot the last two days with "how can we do that here" conversations? Anybody got a couple of million spare? Also could do with a good high speed aerodynamicist with some time on their hands.
G
Do a Hover - it avoids G
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During the interviews with Melville and Rutan after the flight they mentioned that back up systems were needed, were used and saved the day. All part of good aeronautical design and Rutan does good designs – to put it mildly. To have him explain his thinking about any of his ground breaking projects to you on a one to one basis is a quite mind-blowing experience. The time he took me into his office back in 1990 is burned into my memory alongside other privileged conversations with Whittle, Hooker and Hooper. Amazing men.
Self Loathing Froggy
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Control glitches solved !
The Beeb 
Private space ship 'back to form'
SpaceShipOne, the world's first private space craft, is back on course for the Ansari X-Prize after solving technical hitches following June's historic trip.
The craft, built by aviation pioneer Burt Rutan, had a major flight-control problem towards the top of its 100km record-breaking voyage above the Earth.
Pilot Mike Melvill had to use a back-up system to maintain control of the craft
But Rutan now says the problem was merely "a brief lockout" which only lasted three seconds.
'Not as serious'
At a press conference following the historic journey on 21 June, Rutan told the world's media that there would be no further flights until they had found out what had gone wrong.
That meant the team's attempt at the $10m (£5.7m) X-Prize would be put on hold.
But Rutan told BBC News Online that after analysis, the problem turned out to be minor.
The X-Prize awards the first team that sends a three-person craft to an altitude over 100km, and then repeats the feat in the same craft within two weeks.
"We plan our next two flights to be the X-Prize attempts. Announcement of the dates will be made by the X-Prize Foundation," he said.
He added: "We have high confidence that we will win this year."
Rutan said the team had examined data which explained SpaceShipOne's sudden roll which happened shortly after its motor ignited.
The data showed the problem with the actuator, the part that controls the flaps of the craft.
"We did have a trim anomaly that got our attention and caused us to switch to a backup system," he said.
"However, the problem was merely a brief lockout due to a servo being forced to its stop. It actually began working normally within three seconds, at which time we were on backup."
The actuator failed to move one of the flaps in time because it had "run against a stop", which shifted the ship off-course by 35km (22 miles).
He also told US magazine Wired that violent air currents had set off the rolls, sending the craft 90 degrees to the left.
Pilot Mike Melvill had attempted to correct this which sent the craft rolling 90 degrees right.
After flying the craft in a simulator, Rutan said it had cost the team 30,000 ft (9km).
Three for two
Now the problems had been ironed out, Rutan said that SpaceShipOne would not just settle for two flights during its X-Prize attempt, but three.
Rutan also said that passengers would not be part of the first X-Prize flight.
The rules state that the craft only needs to carry the ballast equivalent to two passengers, plus the pilot.
Any team which attempts the X-Prize must give 60 days' notice, which means the earliest SpaceShipOne would fly is the start of September.
Twenty-five other teams across the world are competing for the prize, including the British civilian space project Starchaser Industries.
That team plans to launch its own rocket in about 18 months
Private space ship 'back to form'
SpaceShipOne, the world's first private space craft, is back on course for the Ansari X-Prize after solving technical hitches following June's historic trip.
The craft, built by aviation pioneer Burt Rutan, had a major flight-control problem towards the top of its 100km record-breaking voyage above the Earth.
Pilot Mike Melvill had to use a back-up system to maintain control of the craft
But Rutan now says the problem was merely "a brief lockout" which only lasted three seconds.
'Not as serious'
At a press conference following the historic journey on 21 June, Rutan told the world's media that there would be no further flights until they had found out what had gone wrong.
That meant the team's attempt at the $10m (£5.7m) X-Prize would be put on hold.
But Rutan told BBC News Online that after analysis, the problem turned out to be minor.
The X-Prize awards the first team that sends a three-person craft to an altitude over 100km, and then repeats the feat in the same craft within two weeks.
"We plan our next two flights to be the X-Prize attempts. Announcement of the dates will be made by the X-Prize Foundation," he said.
He added: "We have high confidence that we will win this year."
Rutan said the team had examined data which explained SpaceShipOne's sudden roll which happened shortly after its motor ignited.
The data showed the problem with the actuator, the part that controls the flaps of the craft.
"We did have a trim anomaly that got our attention and caused us to switch to a backup system," he said.
"However, the problem was merely a brief lockout due to a servo being forced to its stop. It actually began working normally within three seconds, at which time we were on backup."
The actuator failed to move one of the flaps in time because it had "run against a stop", which shifted the ship off-course by 35km (22 miles).
He also told US magazine Wired that violent air currents had set off the rolls, sending the craft 90 degrees to the left.
Pilot Mike Melvill had attempted to correct this which sent the craft rolling 90 degrees right.
After flying the craft in a simulator, Rutan said it had cost the team 30,000 ft (9km).
Three for two
Now the problems had been ironed out, Rutan said that SpaceShipOne would not just settle for two flights during its X-Prize attempt, but three.
Rutan also said that passengers would not be part of the first X-Prize flight.
The rules state that the craft only needs to carry the ballast equivalent to two passengers, plus the pilot.
Any team which attempts the X-Prize must give 60 days' notice, which means the earliest SpaceShipOne would fly is the start of September.
Twenty-five other teams across the world are competing for the prize, including the British civilian space project Starchaser Industries.
That team plans to launch its own rocket in about 18 months
Self Loathing Froggy
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Next flight is supposed to take place on wednesday sept. 29th.
Sir Richard is jumping on the wagon.
I'm reviving this thread as my post on R&N got moved to Airlines, Airports & Routes, which I find a bit premature
Sir Richard is jumping on the wagon.
I'm reviving this thread as my post on R&N got moved to Airlines, Airports & Routes, which I find a bit premature
Self Loathing Froggy
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Take-off scheduled today at 1447 BST (0647 PDT)
more here
MODS : apologies for the cross-posting, but as the subject is not deemed serious enough to remain on R&N, it is now on three dfferent forums.
more here
MODS : apologies for the cross-posting, but as the subject is not deemed serious enough to remain on R&N, it is now on three dfferent forums.