Author Topic: First private manned space flight (Read 2131 times)

Col. Fishguts · **on:** June 21, 2004, 04:17:43 pm

Since no one else posted it:
Today SpaceShipOne with pilot Mike Melville aboard made the first private flight into space (>100 km altitude)
.

Check their site: http://www.scaled.com/

So you better start saving money NOW, to buy yourself one of these babies, or at least a ticket for a ride.

Corsair · **Reply #1 on:** June 21, 2004, 04:24:34 pm

YAY SPACESHIPONE!!!!

ALRIGHT BURT RUTAN!!!
W00t X-Prize!!!1111oneoneone

Martinus · **Reply #2 on:** June 21, 2004, 05:07:23 pm

[color=66ff00]You have to give them one thing, if nothing else; they design beautiful craft.

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Nuke · **Reply #3 on:** June 21, 2004, 05:48:40 pm

*AAHEM*

ive been saying that burt rutan was god all along. i was gonna post lastnight about the flight but the server crashed.

diamondgeezer · **Reply #4 on:** June 21, 2004, 06:40:05 pm

Me too. I think every one except Kazan was betting on Scaled

All bow down and worship the greatness of Burt Rutan!

Rictor · **Reply #5 on:** June 21, 2004, 07:05:38 pm

aww, I was hoping Carmack would win it. Then maybe he could finally get around to releasing Doom 3.

Viper1000 · **Reply #6 on:** June 21, 2004, 07:29:28 pm

That's ship would be even cooler if we rigged it with Kaysers and loaded it with Tornadoes and Helioses.

Taristin · **Reply #7 on:** June 21, 2004, 07:35:03 pm

From the front view, it almost looks like a B-29...

Wee. Private space travel within 20 years..

DeepSpace9er · **Reply #8 on:** June 21, 2004, 10:36:21 pm

Start preordering these things...

Col. Fishguts · **Reply #9 on:** June 22, 2004, 01:45:19 am

Well, you could slap a gatling gun on it and kick some Shivan butt for about 3 minutes.

Viper1000 · **Reply #10 on:** June 22, 2004, 02:00:44 am

How? The bullets would bounce off the Shivan shields.

Nuke · **Reply #11 on:** June 22, 2004, 02:26:06 am

shield piercing incindeary rounds

i use gatling guns on

of ships, so long as you keep your fire rate under 20 rpm, ur fine

IceFire · **Reply #12 on:** June 22, 2004, 08:18:32 am

This is definately a historic moment. And the thing is so much more efficient than whatever Nasa has put out. Its not a space shuttle yet...but that could change.

And its entirely re-useable!

Anaz · **Reply #13 on:** June 22, 2004, 09:16:59 am

they haven't won it yet, mind you. They still have to do it again in 2 weeks.

However, it is indeed 0wnj, and Burt Rutan does know how to build 'em.

Martinus · **Reply #14 on:** June 22, 2004, 10:05:08 am

Quote

Originally posted by IceFire
This is definately a historic moment. And the thing is so much more efficient than whatever Nasa has put out. Its not a space shuttle yet...but that could change.

And its entirely re-useable!

[color=66ff0]It's a horrible Irony, I have an Arthur C. Clarke book called 'Prelude to Space' that was written in 1953 that described the use of a piggy backed launch system with minor differences to Scaled composites design (the 'carrier' vessel was nuclear powered and launched by electromagnetic rails).

1953.
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StratComm · **Reply #15 on:** June 22, 2004, 10:20:15 am

The idea of a piggyback carrier has been around for a long time (NASA even originally planned to use it; the Shuttles were originally intended to launch from the back of a 747 at cruising altitude) but actually getting it to work, with the clearance needed for safe detachment, has always been difficult. It was cut from the shuttle program IIRC due to budget constraints; NASA wasn't given enough money to properly develop the airborne launch platform. Never mind the fact that it would have replaced the boosters and fuel tank, something that would have paid off big-time in the long run.

Martinus · **Reply #16 on:** June 22, 2004, 10:27:15 am

[color=66ff00]NASA aren't really given enough money for anything to be honest.

The UK and europe aren't really much better. Thank God for the chinese, no doubt the US will see China as someone who might actually out perform them in space related matters and pump more cash NASA's way. Competition really is the best way to kick the space program back into gear.
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Jiggyhound · **Reply #17 on:** June 22, 2004, 10:45:55 am

once they get this baby into orbit.....

Ghostavo · **Reply #18 on:** June 22, 2004, 10:54:13 am

NASA used in it's infancy the piggyback carrier system, for a series of sub-orbital flights using jets IIRC.

Tiara · **Reply #19 on:** June 22, 2004, 10:55:53 am

Sorry, but I find the design butt ugly. Looks like the Tsar Bomba strapped to a pair of funky wings and a rocket engine attached.

Cool though, private space flight

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Author Topic: First private manned space flight (Read 2131 times)

First private manned space flight

First private manned space flight

First private manned space flight

First private manned space flight

First private manned space flight

First private manned space flight

First private manned space flight

First private manned space flight

First private manned space flight

First private manned space flight

First private manned space flight

First private manned space flight

First private manned space flight

First private manned space flight

First private manned space flight

First private manned space flight

First private manned space flight

First private manned space flight

First private manned space flight

First private manned space flight