Rutan hits 200k feet! Almost there!

Add one more pilot to my "Balls Of Brass" book, right in there with Yeager and
Glenn.

Jim



Last
-Thursday, Mike Melvill went into the record books as the first pilot
-to take a privately funded aircraft into space.

Jim Weir (A&P/IA, CFI, & other good alphabet soup)
VP Eng RST Pres. Cyberchapter EAA Tech. Counselor
http://www.rst-engr.com

Jim Weir wrote:

Add one more pilot to my "Balls Of Brass" book, right
in there with Yeager and Glenn.

Not only that Jim.... Since he will probably be the main pilot on a
continuing basis there might also be a day when he has been
upstairs to space more times than anyone else.

Curious question to the group...... Who holds the record right now for
the most number of trips upstairs to spaceville.

On Mon, 17 May 2004 17:48:48 GMT, "Steven P. McNicoll"
wrote in Message-Id:
.net:


"Larry Dighera" wrote in message
.. .

-------------------------------------------------------------------
AVflash Volume 10, Number 21a -- May 17, 2004
-------------------------------------------------------------------

"FIRST" PRIVATE MANNED SPACEFLIGHT A SUCCESS
Since we've been visiting space for more than 40 years it's almost
hard to believe that this kind of "first" was still open. Last
Thursday, Mike Melvill went into the record books as the first pilot
to take a privately funded aircraft into space. The 62-year-old test
pilot rode Scaled Composites' rocket plane SpaceShipOne to an altitude
of 40 miles (211,400 feet) after being dropped from its mother ship,
the White Knight, over the high desert just east of Los Angeles. He
then glided the unique craft to a landing at Mojave Airport. "Watching
the blue sky go completely black was the highlight of my career,"
Melvill told reporters.
http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archive...ll.html#187306


Who considers 40 miles to be space?


Ummm... AvWeb maybe?

How many miles high do you consider to be space?


Here's the rest of the article:

Now, unless some of the other competitors have some tricks up
their sleeve, Thursday's flight solidifies the Scaled team's lead
in the race to win the X PRIZE, a $10 million award to the first
private concern to launch passengers to an altitude of 100
kilometers (about 60 miles), recover them safely and then do it
all over again within two weeks. Although Scaled President Burt
Rutan has never discussed the cost of his firm's venture, it's
almost certainly a lot more than the prize money will cover.
Billionaire Paul Allen is funding the effort. The goal of the X
PRIZE is to promote safe and reliable private space flights to
create a space tourism industry in the next 15 years.

--

Irrational beliefs ultimately lead to irrational acts.
-- Larry Dighera,

In article ,
Shiver Me Timbers writes:
Jim Weir wrote:

Add one more pilot to my "Balls Of Brass" book, right
in there with Yeager and Glenn.

Not only that Jim.... Since he will probably be the main pilot on a
continuing basis there might also be a day when he has been
upstairs to space more times than anyone else.

He hasn't been there yet, either for International recognition (100
Km/62 St. Miles) or U.S.A.F. Atronaurt wings qualification (50 St
Mi./ 88 Km). I don't doubt that Scaled Composites will get there,
but it's not Miller Time yet.

To put it into our X-15 persoective, by the end of teh X-15's program
with 199 flights, 41 of those flights had exceeded the altitude
reached so far by Spaceship One. I don't have teh counts by
individual pilot totted up yet, but I'd say that Joe Walker flew at
least 6 of those, and Joe Engle may have flown more.

Curious question to the group...... Who holds the record right now for
the most number of trips upstairs to spaceville.

Dr. Frank Chang-Diaz and Jerry Ross are currently tied with 7.
Note that Chang-Diaz has a total of 66.76 days in free-fall, and 3
EVAs for a total of 19.77 Hrs of spacewalking.
Ross yas a total time of 58.04 days in free-fall, and 9 EVAs for 58.45
Hrs of spacewalking.

The leader right now for total time is orbit goes to Sergei Avdeyev,
with 3 flights for a total of 747.59 days iin free-fall. He's got 10
EVAs for a total of 41.98 Hrs of spacewalking.

Lots more useful stuff at teh Encyclopedia Astronautica at:
hrrp://www.astronautix.com

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

"Teacherjh" wrote in message
...

This isn't an argument, this is just contradiction.


Actually, it's a statement of fact. While I am in a position to know
whether I want the five minute argument or the full half hour, you are not.
What is clear is that you haven't a cogent argument of any length.

"Judah" wrote in message
...

Really? Who?


Who's asking the questions? Steven P. McNicoll



Where's that? I've never heard of such a place.


Michigan's upper peninsula. People in the upper peninsula, frequently
shortened to "the UP" (pronounced you pea) are regionally known as yoopers
(UPers, get it?). Michiganders that live below "the bridge" (Mackinac) are
regionally known as trolls.

"Big John" wrote in message
...

Are you trying to tell everyone that a vehicle has gone into
space, been recovered and the same vehicle gone back within a
two week period "has been done before"????


No, I'm saying that capability has been achieved previously.

"Big John" wrote in message
...

Remember the X-15 dropped the rudder off to land. This would have
disqualified them


How would that have been disqualifying? The X-15 dropped the rudder portion
of the ventral fin in order to gain sufficient clearance for the landing
skids. The rudder was not discarded, it returned by parachute and was
reused. The X Prize rules require the vehicle to return from both flights
substantially intact such that the vehicle is reusable, and that no more
than 10% of the flight vehicle's first-flight non-propellant mass be
replaced between the two flights. The X-15's lower rudder was reusable, but
even if it was discarded each flight it was obviously far less than 10% of
the X-15's 11,374 lb. empty weight.

"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote in
news

"Judah" wrote in message
...

Really? Who?


Who's asking the questions? Steven P. McNicoll

Do you mean now or before?



Where's that? I've never heard of such a place.


Michigan's upper peninsula. People in the upper peninsula, frequently
shortened to "the UP" (pronounced you pea) are regionally known as
yoopers (UPers, get it?). Michiganders that live below "the bridge"
(Mackinac) are regionally known as trolls.

Ahhh... Sounds like a wonderful place. I'll have to visit sometime!

This isn't an argument, this is just contradiction.

Actually, it's a statement of fact....


No, it isn't.

Jose

--
(for Email, make the obvious changes in my address)