In article ,
Peter Kemp writes:
On 23 Jun 2004 21:54:57 GMT, (B2431) wrote:

From: "Steven P. McNicoll"
Date: 6/23/2004 5:49 AM Central Daylight Time
Message-id: .net


"miso" wrote in message
e.com...

Note that they will have to make 2 more trips for the prize if they
miss the 2 week window. Still better to delay then risk life, limb,
and the hardware.


They have to make at least two more trips for the prize regardless of
anything else, as they have yet to make a single qualifying flight.

How did this one not qualify?

Not high enough and did not carry 3 humans (although I think 2 of the
"passengers" can be weighted dummies.

The flight was high enough - IIRC, the apogee was 100.125 km, so they had
1/8 of a km in the bag. (Not enough really, you wnat to have more in
the case of an instrumentation hiccup)

In order to qualigy as an X-Prize flight, it has to be carrying
ballast equivalent to two passengers (And no, you don't get to pick
the passengers, it's a specified weight), and the flight has to have
been pre-announced by 30 days, with another flight following within 14
days.
This flight wasn't intended to be an X-Prize flight, but a test
flight. Burt Rutan's been running an orderly and reaosonable test
program, taking each stage in bite-sized increments, and resolving
problems as he goes. (His normal approach) There hasn't yet been the
30 day pre-boarding call.

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