Rutan hits 200k feet! Almost there!

"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote...

The point is the X-Prize does not require any new technology or
capability.

If it's so mundane, why hasn't anyone claimed the prize yet?

"John R Weiss" wrote in message
news:Stfpc.51641$xw3.3123300@attbi_s04...

If it's so mundane, why hasn't anyone claimed the prize yet?


It hasn't been claimed because it hasn't been done. A better question is
why was the prize offered?

"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote...

If it's so mundane, why hasn't anyone claimed the prize yet?

It hasn't been claimed because it hasn't been done.

I could have sworn you were claiming the requisite trip had been done
before...

"John R Weiss" wrote in message
news:nLgpc.51990$iF6.4739265@attbi_s02...

I could have sworn you were claiming the requisite trip had been done
before...


Manned suborbital spaceflight has been done before. The X Prize requires
that it be done with a privately financed flight vehicle.

On Sat, 15 May 2004 12:06:39 GMT, "Steven P. McNicoll"
wrote in Message-Id:
. net:


Manned suborbital spaceflight has been done before. The X Prize requires
that it be done with a privately financed flight vehicle.



-------------------------------------------------------------------
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

--

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

"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?

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,

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 Sat, 15 May 2004 02:44:02 +0000, John R Weiss wrote:

"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote...

The point is the X-Prize does not require any new technology or
capability.

If it's so mundane, why hasn't anyone claimed the prize yet?

Doh! How dare you attempt to confuse a troll with such an excellent
question. Shame on you!