Rutan hits 200k feet! Almost there!

"Chad Irby" wrote in message
om...

But it also doesn't mean that it *was* possible.

Since it didn't happen, then the burden of proof is on *your* side.


I thought I had already done that. The X-15 was turned in less than two
weeks and it flew above 100 km. Put those together and you've got a
spacecraft being reused in less than two weeks. If there was something to
be gained by actually flying it twice above 100 km within a two week period
it would have been done.

"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?

The fact that they are doing it without tax money and a huge
outfit like NASA behind them is VERY significant.


Why?


Maybe because I am getting tired of funding everything. The private sector can
do more and cheaper than the govt if given the chance. Look at what Boeing has
done to commericial airtransport. We would not have a 747, or 777 if the Govt
was running the show.
Matt Gunsch,
A&P,IA,Private Pilot
Riding member of the
2003 world champion drill team
Arizona Precision Motorcycle Drill Team
GWRRA,NRA,GOA

On Fri, 14 May 2004 12:24:26 -0400, Peter Stickney wrote:

In article ,
(Prowlus) writes:
Rusty Barton wrote in message . ..
On Thu, 13 May 2004 20:30:08 GMT, "Thomas J. Paladino Jr."
wrote:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4970837/



SpaceShipOne re-entry - Flight 13P



Speaking of Re-entry ain't the front of the craft a bit unprrotected
in that department?

Reentry isn't really that big a deal for an X-prize contender.
depending on the flight profile used, Maximum Mach Number would be in
teh region of Mach 5. Not an everysay occurance, but also a much mre
pleasant environment than, say, a reentry from orbit.

Think X-15 (Which was flying the same profile in 1963) rather than
Space Shuttle. There's a big difference between the two.


Agreed. A shuttle is coming in at Mach 25+ from a much higher altitude.
It basically free falls, using gravity as it's engine, not to mention its
base speed of Mach 25+ before it even starts to "fall" back towards Earth.
The frictional forces at those speeds compared to the speed that
SpaceShipOne will be flying is night and day. No comparison.

On Sat, 15 May 2004 01:26:06 +0000, Steven P. McNicoll wrote:


"Vaughn" wrote in message
news

Sorry, but I have to go with Pete here, the relevent point is that
it is being done by a small private corporation...and they are making
it look easy!


What is significant about a private corporation duplicating a feat that a
government agency accomplished decades earlier?

Can't believe you guys are feeding this troll.

The answer is obvious and been stated many times already.

He's trolling. Period.

On Fri, 14 May 2004 22:41:29 +0000, Steven P. McNicoll wrote:


"Chad Irby" wrote in message
om...

A suborbital flight, and repeat it with the same vehicle in a 14 day
period?

Funny, I can't remember hearing of such a thing.


The capability was there. Individual X-15s were flown within two week
periods a number of times and the craft was flown above 100 km.



I think you don't understand the actual rules or intent of the Ansari
X-Prize.


You'd be wrong abut that.

So he openly admits that he's trolling. Nuff said.

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!

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.

"Greg Copeland" wrote in message
news

Can't believe you guys are feeding this troll.

The answer is obvious and been stated many times already.


Well, since nobody has provided an answer it's obviously far from obvious.

"Greg Copeland" wrote in message
news

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


If anybody had achieved it before the Wrights you can be sure they'd have
documentation.