Space Ship One Launch

"Jim Atkins" wrote in message
...
Glenn and Shepard in the sense of seeing a real first-

Let's not forget Yuri in there.

Pete

Say, did the White Knight, or SS1, land first?

How long between the landings?

I noted from the TV news reports that Mr. Melville was wearing only a
flight suit and an oxygen mask (no full or partial pressure suit).
Does anyone know whether the cockpit was pressurized? If not (and even
if so) this was pretty risky.

Jim Thomas

While Glenn and Shephard are plenty brave men for their rocket rides, that
old man today (63 and as old as my older brother) brought it in and landed
by hand using his eyes and brains to put it on the numbers.

It was a wonder to behold. Next time, though, I want to see if fromt he side
instead of looking straight up so I can get a sense of the trajectory.

"John Shelton" wrote in message
ink.net...

Nice write up. A correction: Not Glenn and Shephard.


What correction? Not Glenn and Shepard for what?

"Jim Atkins" wrote in message
...

Glenn and Shepard in the sense of seeing a real first-


Neither achieved a real first.

"Pete" wrote in message
...

Let's not forget Yuri in there.


Are you sure Gagarin was first?

"Jim Thomas" wrote in message
m...

I noted from the TV news reports that Mr. Melville was wearing only a
flight suit and an oxygen mask (no full or partial pressure suit).
Does anyone know whether the cockpit was pressurized? If not (and even
if so) this was pretty risky.


Well, if he wasn't wearing any type of pressure suit, he wouldn't have
survived without a pressurized cockpit.

"John H. Campbell" wrote in message
...
It is registered as a glider, it appears (N328KF),

Heh, heh. Indeed -- "engine type: none". That's rich.

but I couldn't find a Mike Melville with a glider rating in the pilot
certificate database

That's because it's spelled "Melvill", no "e" unlike the author of "Moby
Dick". Getting wrong the name of a world hero (of S. African origin)!?
His
FAA listing duly shows "glider". Don't you recall that Mike did test
flights in the 1980s on the "Solitaire" which won the SSA's motorglider
design contest?



Hmmmm. Does this mean that a new glider attitude record has been set?
Maybe an altitude gain record too? I don't recall that the FAI is on record
excluding altitude gain resulting from ballistic trajectories.

Bill Daniels

It is registered as a glider, it appears (N328KF),

Heh, heh. Indeed -- "engine type: none". That's rich.

but I couldn't find a Mike Melville with a glider rating in the pilot
certificate database

That's because it's spelled "Melvill", no "e" unlike the author of "Moby
Dick". Getting wrong the name of a world hero (of S. African origin)!? His
FAA listing duly shows "glider". Don't you recall that Mike did test
flights in the 1980s on the "Solitaire" which won the SSA's motorglider
design contest?

"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote in message
ink.net...

"Pete" wrote in message
...

Let's not forget Yuri in there.


Are you sure Gagarin was first?

True. But we may never know for sure if there was another.

Pete