Casey Wilson
December 17th 03, 11:16 PM
I just received the following press release from Scaled Composites.
"Our White Knight turbojet launch aircraft, flown by Test Pilot Peter
Siebold, carried research rocket plane SpaceShipOne to 48,000 feet altitude,
near the desert town of California City. At 8:15 a.m. PDT, Cory Bird, the
White Knight Flight Engineer, pulled a handle to release SpaceShipOne.
SpaceShipOne Test Pilot, Brian Binnie then flew the ship to a stable, 0.55
mach gliding flight condition, started a pull-up, and fired its hybrid
rocket motor. Nine seconds later, SpaceShipOne broke the sound barrier and
continued its steep powered ascent. The climb was very aggressive,
accelerating forward at more than 3-g while pulling upward at more than
2.5-g. At motor shutdown, 15 seconds after ignition, SpaceShipOne was
climbing at a 60-degree angle and flying near 1.2 Mach (930 mph). Brian
then continued the maneuver to a vertical climb, achieving zero speed at an
altitude of 68,000 feet."
Way to go, Rutan et al!
SpaceShipOne, according to the press release, landed safely. On rollout, the
left main gear collapsed and the ship veered off the runway, but the damage
was minimal.
"Our White Knight turbojet launch aircraft, flown by Test Pilot Peter
Siebold, carried research rocket plane SpaceShipOne to 48,000 feet altitude,
near the desert town of California City. At 8:15 a.m. PDT, Cory Bird, the
White Knight Flight Engineer, pulled a handle to release SpaceShipOne.
SpaceShipOne Test Pilot, Brian Binnie then flew the ship to a stable, 0.55
mach gliding flight condition, started a pull-up, and fired its hybrid
rocket motor. Nine seconds later, SpaceShipOne broke the sound barrier and
continued its steep powered ascent. The climb was very aggressive,
accelerating forward at more than 3-g while pulling upward at more than
2.5-g. At motor shutdown, 15 seconds after ignition, SpaceShipOne was
climbing at a 60-degree angle and flying near 1.2 Mach (930 mph). Brian
then continued the maneuver to a vertical climb, achieving zero speed at an
altitude of 68,000 feet."
Way to go, Rutan et al!
SpaceShipOne, according to the press release, landed safely. On rollout, the
left main gear collapsed and the ship veered off the runway, but the damage
was minimal.