|
June 2, 2004
Historic Space Launch Attempt
Scheduled for June 21 Paul G. Allen and Burt Rutan Announce Plans for
First Non-Government, Privately Funded Manned Space Flight
Mojave, CA: A
privately-developed rocket plane will launch into history on June 21,
2004 on a mission to become the
world’s first commercial manned space vehicle.
Investor and philanthropist Paul
G. Allen and aviation legend Burt Rutan have teamed to create the
program, which will attempt the first non-governmental flight to leave
the earth’s atmosphere.
SpaceShipOne will rocket to 100
kilometers (62 miles) into sub-orbital space above the Mojave Civilian
Aerospace Test Center, a commercial airport in the California desert.
If successful, it will demonstrate that the space frontier is finally
open to private enterprise. This event could be the breakthrough that
will enable space access for future generations.
Allen, founder and chairman of
Vulcan Inc, is financing the project. Along with Allen, Vulcan’s
technology research and development team -- which takes the lead in
developing high impact science and technology projects for Allen --
has been active in the project’s development and management.
"This flight is one of the most
exciting and challenging activities taking place in the fields of
aviation and aerospace today," said Paul G. Allen, sole sponsor in the
SpaceShipOne program. "Every time SpaceShipOne flies we demonstrate
that relatively modest amounts of private funding can significantly
increase the boundaries of commercial space technology. Burt Rutan and
his team at Scaled Composites have accomplished amazing things by
conducting the first mission of this kind without any government
backing."
Today’s announcement came after
SpaceShipOne completed a May 13th, 2004 test flight in which pilot
Mike Melvill reached a height of 211,400 feet (approximately 40
miles), the highest altitude ever reached by a non-government
aerospace program.
Sub-orbital space flight refers
to a mission that flies out of the atmosphere but does not reach the
speeds needed to sustain continuous orbiting of the earth. The view
from a sub-orbital flight is similar to being in orbit, but the cost
and risks are far less.
The pilot (to be announced at a
later date) of the up-coming June sub-orbital space flight will become
the first person to earn astronaut wings in a non- government
sponsored vehicle, and the first private civilian to fly a spaceship
out of the atmosphere.
“Since Yuri Gagarin and Al
Shepard’s epic flights in 1961, all space missions have been flown
only under large, expensive Government efforts. By contrast, our
program involves a few, dedicated individuals who are focused entirely
on making spaceflight affordable,” said Burt Rutan. “Without the
entrepreneur approach, space access would continue to be out of reach
for ordinary citizens. The SpaceShipOne flights will change all that
and encourage others to usher in a new, low-cost era in space travel.”
SpaceShipOne was designed by
Rutan and his research team at the California- based aerospace
company, Scaled Composites. Rutan made aviation news in 1986 by
developing the Voyager, the only aircraft to fly non-stop around the
world without refueling.
“To succeed takes more than the
work of designers and builders”, Rutan said, “The vision, the will,
the commitment and the courage to direct the program is the most
difficult hurdle. We are very fortunate to have the financial support
and the confidence of a visionary like Paul Allen to make this effort
possible.”
To reach space, a carrier
aircraft, the White Knight, lifts SpaceShipOne from the runway. An
hour later, after climbing to approximately 50,000 feet altitude just
east of Mojave, the White Knight releases the spaceship into a glide.
The spaceship pilot then fires his rocket motor for about 80 seconds,
reaching Mach 3 in a vertical climb. During the pull-up and climb, the
pilot encounters G-forces three to
four times the gravity of the earth.
SpaceShipOne then coasts up to
its goal height of 100 km (62 miles) before falling back to earth. The
pilot experiences a weightless environment for more than three minutes
and, like orbital space travelers, sees the black sky and the thin
blue atmospheric line on the horizon. The pilot (actually a new astronaut!) then configures the
craft’s wing and tail into a high-drag configuration. This provides a
“care-free” atmospheric entry by slowing the spaceship in the upper
atmosphere and automatically aligning it along the flight path. Upon
re-entry, the pilot reconfigures the ship back to a normal glider, and
then spends 15 to 20 minutes gliding back to earth, touching down like
an airplane on the same runway from which he took off. The June flight
will be flown solo, but SpaceShipOne is equipped with three seats and
is designed for missions that include pilot and two passengers.
Unlike any previous manned space
mission, the June flight will allow the public to view, up close, the
takeoff and landing as well as the overhead rocket boost to space.
This will be an historic and unique spectator opportunity.
Information for the general
public on attending the event is available at
www.scaled.com.
The Discovery Channel and Vulcan
Productions are producing RUTAN’S RACE FOR SPACE (wt), a world
premiere television special that documents the entire process of the
historic effort to create the first privately-funded spacecraft. From
design to flight testing to the moments of the actual launch and
return, the special takes viewers behind-the-scenes for the complete,
inside story of this historic aerospace milestone. RUTAN’S RACE FOR
SPACE will be broadcast later this year.
http://www.contactmagazine.com/Scaled.html
|
