Mojave, California, April 18, 2003:
Scaled Composites today unveiled the existence of a commercial manned
space program. This previously hidden, active research program has
been in the works at its facility for two years. This program includes
an airborne launcher (the White Knight), a space ship (SpaceShipOne),
rocket propulsion, avionics, simulator and ground support elements.
Master of Ceremonies, Cliff Robertson, introduced Burt Rutan who
explained the history and the components of the program. Other
dignitaries who attended the event were Dr. Maxim Faget (pioneer
configuration designer of the early NASA space program from the
Mercury through the Apollo programs), Erik Lindbergh (grandson of
Charles Lindbergh and President of the Lindbergh Foundation), and
Dennis Tito (Soyuz space tourist).
Further information about the space program and high-resolution
photographs are available at the Scaled Composites website:
http://www.scaled.com/
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Contact Magazine Photos:
Photos you won't see anywhere else on the net.
Click the image for a larger view
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browser is allowing you to view it full size. |
| White Knight |
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| SpaceShipOne |
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| Both Craft Together |
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| The full view |
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| History in the Making |
Burt Rutan, to his right is Dr. Maxim Faget,
and to his left, Buzz Aldrin |
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Although this story is outside the scope of what CONTACT!
would normally publish, we appreciate the invitation and
hospitality we received from Scaled, and wanted to
showcase
(once again) things you my not find in the other aviation
publications. Although I'm sure they'll cover the story
well,
I doubt they will have photos quite like
these. |
Last Updated: 04-18-03
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