Rutan hits 200k feet! Almost there!

snip
Here are some pictures of todays flight on the Scaled Composites
website:

Not yet. Today was 14p, the pictures all still show last months
flight, 13P








http://www.scaled.com/projects/tiero...hotos_text.htm


Image of flight 13P boost from Chase aircraft video

http://www.scaled.com/projects/tiero...oost_alpha.jpg


Image of flight 13P boost from Edwards AFB ground radar facility

http://www.scaled.com/projects/tiero.../13p_boost.jpg



SpaceShipOne at apogee Note: RCS thruster firing on left wing.
Flight 13P

http://www.scaled.com/projects/tiero...p_rcs_tail.jpg


Image of transonic descent in feather configuration from Edwards AFG
ground radar facility Flight 13P

http://www.scaled.com/projects/tiero...3p_feather.jpg


SpaceShipOne re-entry - Flight 13P

http://www.scaled.com/projects/tiero...ather_tail.jpg


- Rusty Barton

Rusty Barton wrote in message . ..
On Thu, 13 May 2004 20:30:08 GMT, "Thomas J. Paladino Jr."
wrote:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4970837/



SpaceShipOne re-entry - Flight 13P



Speaking of Re-entry ain't the front of the craft a bit unprrotected
in that department?

"Prowlus" wrote in message
om...
Rusty Barton wrote in message
. ..
On Thu, 13 May 2004 20:30:08 GMT, "Thomas J. Paladino Jr."
wrote:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4970837/



SpaceShipOne re-entry - Flight 13P



Speaking of Re-entry ain't the front of the craft a bit unprrotected
in that department?

Its only doing about 2500 mph

Keith

"Keith Willshaw" wrote in message
...

"Prowlus" wrote in message
om...
Rusty Barton wrote in message
. ..
On Thu, 13 May 2004 20:30:08 GMT, "Thomas J. Paladino Jr."
wrote:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4970837/



SpaceShipOne re-entry - Flight 13P



Speaking of Re-entry ain't the front of the craft a bit unprrotected
in that department?

Its only doing about 2500 mph

During this last flight it only reached Mach 2.5, and that was at 150,000
feet on the way up. Maximum speed on re-entry was only Mach 1.9. It looks
like Spaceship One goes through a lot more stress going up than it takes
coming back down.

In article ,
(Prowlus) writes:
Rusty Barton wrote in message . ..
On Thu, 13 May 2004 20:30:08 GMT, "Thomas J. Paladino Jr."
wrote:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4970837/



SpaceShipOne re-entry - Flight 13P



Speaking of Re-entry ain't the front of the craft a bit unprrotected
in that department?

Reentry isn't really that big a deal for an X-prize contender.
depending on the flight profile used, Maximum Mach Number would be in
teh region of Mach 5. Not an everysay occurance, but also a much mre
pleasant environment than, say, a reentry from orbit.

Think X-15 (Which was flying the same profile in 1963) rather than
Space Shuttle. There's a big difference between the two.

This is not a slap at Rutan or Scaled Composites - They're doing a
damned good job, running an extremenly professional program, and
theu're my favorites for the X-Prize - or whatever the new name is,
nad it'll be a real landmark. But it's not going to be performing
anything at all like a system that will be going into orbit, or doing
anything other than carrying a couple of people to 100 Km & back.

The jump from X-Prize to Space Travel is like the Ortieg Prize
(Lindberg) to the Pan Am Clippers. (And the relationship of the
X-Prize to the Orteig Prize is not a coincidence) The one-time
expedition (It was too involved to call it a stunt) was do-able in
1927. The useful stuff didn't happen until 1939.

--
Pete Stickney
A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many
bad measures. -- Daniel Webster

On Fri, 14 May 2004 12:24:26 -0400, Peter Stickney wrote:

In article ,
(Prowlus) writes:
Rusty Barton wrote in message . ..
On Thu, 13 May 2004 20:30:08 GMT, "Thomas J. Paladino Jr."
wrote:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4970837/



SpaceShipOne re-entry - Flight 13P



Speaking of Re-entry ain't the front of the craft a bit unprrotected
in that department?

Reentry isn't really that big a deal for an X-prize contender.
depending on the flight profile used, Maximum Mach Number would be in
teh region of Mach 5. Not an everysay occurance, but also a much mre
pleasant environment than, say, a reentry from orbit.

Think X-15 (Which was flying the same profile in 1963) rather than
Space Shuttle. There's a big difference between the two.


Agreed. A shuttle is coming in at Mach 25+ from a much higher altitude.
It basically free falls, using gravity as it's engine, not to mention its
base speed of Mach 25+ before it even starts to "fall" back towards Earth.
The frictional forces at those speeds compared to the speed that
SpaceShipOne will be flying is night and day. No comparison.

"Thomas J. Paladino Jr." wrote in message
.. .
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4970837/


Exciting stuff!

Rutan's SpaceShipOne hit 200,000 feet today over their Mojave test site.


That last third of the flight is going to be tough. It took 55% fuel just to
reach 211,000 feet. Most of the remainder will be needed just to carry a
full load of fuel that high. Plus, there was only one person on board. To
get the X Prize, they have to carry three people.

Not only that, they have been managing only one Spaceship One flight every
couple of months (lately about one a month). They have made only three
powered flights. What do they need for the X Prize -- something like one
every two weeks, isn't it?

It may take a little while for them to get it all together, but they do
appear to be a lot closer.

C J Campbell wrote:

That last third of the flight is going to be tough.

I'm sure the first two thirds will be pretty tough as well.

It took 55% fuel just to reach 211,000 feet. Most of the remainder
will be needed just to carry a full load of fuel that high.
Plus, there was only one person on board. To
get the X Prize, they have to carry three people.

Don't worry about their mileage Mr. Cambell, I'm sure Burt Rutan
has a better idea of the fuel requirements than you do.

Not only that,

Gaaaaasssssssp....... You have more comments.

they have been managing only one Spaceship One flight every
couple of months (lately about one a month).

So what. Will NASA be able to match that this year

They have made only three powered flights.

So what...... That's three more than you will ever make now isn't it.

What do they need for the X Prize -- something like one
every two weeks, isn't it?

Beats me but I'll bet that Burt Rutan has a much better handle on what
the requirements are than you do..... So don't sweat the little details
that you will personally never have to be responsible for.

It may take a little while for them to get it all together, but they do
appear to be a lot closer.

How condescendingly generous you are.

"Shiver Me Timbers" wrote in message
...
C J Campbell wrote:

That last third of the flight is going to be tough.

How condescendingly generous you are.

Somebody step on your tail? It really is going to be tough. If Rutan were
attempting something easy, it wouldn't be worth all that attention, would
it? What, are you trying to belittle his accomplishments or what he is
trying to do?

"C J Campbell" wrote in message
...

Somebody step on your tail? It really is going to be tough. If
Rutan were attempting something easy, it wouldn't be worth all
that attention, would it? What, are you trying to belittle his
accomplishments or what he is trying to do?


Just what is the point of the whole X-Prize competition anyway? I
understand the requirements, but why do it all? The Rutan Voyager flight
wasn't particularly useful either, but it was something that hadn't been
done before.