Rutan hits 200k feet! Almost there!

"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.

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

"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.

Someone might have said the same thing to the Wrights.

The idea is to prove that privately financed space travel is both feasible
and reasonable. No government has managed to do what Rutan and the others
are attempting. The prize has the additional advantage of attracting media
attention so that, once it has been won, public interest in space tourism
will be generated.

"C J Campbell" wrote in message
...

Someone might have said the same thing to the Wrights.


Where's the similarity? The Wrights were the first to achieve powered,
sustained, controlled heavier-than-air flight. Nobody had accomplished that
before the Wrights on December 17, 1903. But manned suborbital flight HAS
been accomplished before, four times before, and it was last done over forty
years ago. If manned suborbital spaceflight had any real usefulness why did
it stop?



The idea is to prove that privately financed space travel is both feasible
and reasonable. No government has managed to do what Rutan and
the others are attempting. The prize has the additional advantage of
attracting media attention so that, once it has been won, public
interest in space tourism will be generated.


So the ultimate goal is passenger hops as a commercial venture?

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

"C J Campbell" wrote in message
...

Someone might have said the same thing to the Wrights.


Where's the similarity? The Wrights were the first to achieve powered,
sustained, controlled heavier-than-air flight. Nobody had accomplished
that
before the Wrights on December 17, 1903. But manned suborbital flight HAS
been accomplished before, four times before, and it was last done over
forty
years ago. If manned suborbital spaceflight had any real usefulness why
did
it stop?


The earlier flights were not done in a re-usable spacecraft.



The idea is to prove that privately financed space travel is both
feasible
and reasonable. No government has managed to do what Rutan and
the others are attempting. The prize has the additional advantage of
attracting media attention so that, once it has been won, public
interest in space tourism will be generated.


So the ultimate goal is passenger hops as a commercial venture?

Yes.

Where's the similarity?

It opens doors - doors that people didn't even think were there.

Jose

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

On Fri, 14 May 2004 14:31:20 +0000, Steven P. McNicoll wrote:


"C J Campbell" wrote in message
...

Someone might have said the same thing to the Wrights.


Where's the similarity? The Wrights were the first to achieve powered,
sustained, controlled heavier-than-air flight. Nobody had accomplished that
before the Wrights on December 17, 1903. But manned suborbital flight HAS
been accomplished before, four times before, and it was last done over forty
years ago. If manned suborbital spaceflight had any real usefulness why did
it stop?


Actually, I believe they were the first to achieve powered, sustained,
controlled, heavier-than-air-flight, which was properly documented and
recorded.

"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote:

Just what is the point of the whole X-Prize competition anyway? I
understand the requirements, but why do it all?

What was the point of the first civilian flight across the Atlantic?

George Patterson
I childproofed my house, but they *still* get in.