This page serves as an
archive of the wild ride of SpaceShipOne on Sept. 29, 2004 when pilot Mike Melvill
made the first of two required suborbital space flights to capture the X Prize.
The page remains as it appeared on the evening of the flight.
For live coverage of
the second fight, scheduled for Monday, Oct. 4, click here.
"Uh oh, uh oh, he is
in the roll."
-- SpaceShipOne flight transcript
SpaceShipOne
Was Not Out of Control, Builder and Pilot Say
7:04 pm ET: MOJAVE, CALIFORNIA – The unplanned spin of
SpaceShipOne during its trip into space Wednesday was caused by a known deficiency.
Tense
Time at the Top
SpaceShipOne Succeeds in Trailblazing First Shot at $10 Million X Prize
11:28 a.m. ET, Sept. 29: MOJAVE, CALIFORNIA
– In a frightening mission that could nonetheless herald a new era of
space tourism, a privately built, three-person rocket ship flew to space and
back today. It was a wild ride. Full
Story
How the Day Unfolded
Exclusive updates
provided by SPACE.com's Leonard David and Anthony Duignan-Cabrera, live from
the Mojave Spaceport. Sept.
29, 2004:
11: 20 a.m. ET: A
sonic boom was heard on the ground. "Everything is great," said a
commentator.
11:18 a.m. ET: SpaceShipOne
appears to be in control and is turning from a spaceship into an airplane as
it re-enters the atmosphere and begins its glide back to the Mojave airport/spaceport.
The crowd on the ground caught visual sight of the vessel and cheered. But,
"It appeared there were some wrinkles" near the apex of the flight,
said webcast commentator Jim Scott.
11:15 a.m. ET: SpaceShipOne
went into an unexpected roll and shut down its main engines just after they
started, following a high-altitude drop from its mothership. Webcast commentators
were concerned. But it appeared the required altitude was reached.
11:13 a.m. ET: High-altitude
separation of the two ships has taken place. SpaceShipOne dropped for a harrowing
few seconds, then "lit its candle" to rocket into space, as one commentator
put it. The flame was clearly visible on live video and from the ground. SpaceShipOne
will reach Mach 3 -- about 2,600 mph. Flight
Plan
11:03 a.m. ET: Spotted
at the Mojave Spaceport: Film directors John Landis and James Cameron, as well
as entrepreneur Elon Musk and astronaut William Readdy.
10:41 a.m. ET: Separation
of the two ships is expected at 8:15 a.m. local time (11:15 ET).
SpaceShipOne
is Airborne!
10:12
a.m. ET: MOJAVE, CALIFORNIA
– A privately built and financed rocketship departed here today, headed for
the first run at back-to-back flights to win the $10 million Ansari X Prize.
[File art]
10:10 a.m. ET: NASA
Administrator Sean O'Keefe is in the audience at Mojave.
10:06 a.m. ET: The
White Knight carrier plane is poised to head down the runway. It carries the
Virgin
Galactic logo, a hint of space tourism to come.
9:55 a.m. ET: Robert
Bigelow, billionaire hotel magnate and space tourism promoter, said this about
SpaceShipOne this morning: "I'm impressed with the sheer speed of the vehicle."
It goes over Mach 3 (Mach 1 is the speed of sound) and is privately built. "That's
an accomplishment in itself besides all the other things it'll do today."
9:40 a.m. ET: Pilot
Mike Melvill has boarded SpaceShipOne and the pilot for the White Knight carrier
plane is aboard, too. Wind speed at the Mojave Spaceport as of 9:34 a.m. ET
was 12 mph from south-southwest, with visibility at 8 miles, according to Accuweather.
See concern over wind, which tends to slacken as the Sun
rises.
9:36 a.m. ET: Spectators
are ready. Wayne Stacy, 36, a coach and sports science professor from Simpson
College in Indianola, Iowa, said. "I missed class for this, but the students
did not seem to mind." He saw first SpaceShipOne spaceflight on television in
June. "It was just amazing. I just had to be here to see what is one of the
most significant events of our time." Stacy thinks the space tourism industry
"is already going. But we need events like this to create awareness outside
the space community."
9:25
a.m. ET: The wind has picked up at
the Mojave Spaceport. Deteriorating conditions
could scrub the launch this morning, according to rumors circulating among the
throng here. (Moments later, the wind could be seen ruffling the hair of Peter
Diamandis, X Prize founder, during a press conference at the scene.)
8:42
a.m. ET: The announcement
that SpaceShipOne will be piloted by Mike Melvill, who flew
the ship into space June 21, is a surprise to many here. Melvill, after
his last flight, seemed steadfast that he was turning the reins of SpaceShipOne
over to one of three other pilots. Melvill has 19 years of experience as an
experimental test pilot.
The seagull-like carrier
plane, the White Knight, is ready to take SpaceShipOne up to drop altitude,
roughly 47,000 feet above the Mojave desert. Rollout of the mated twosome is
6:30 a.m. local time (9:30 ET). The planned takeoff is 6:47 a.m. local time.
The
combined ships (left) will circle the Mojave Spaceport, with release of the
rocketship slated for 7:50 a.m. local time (10:50 ET). If all goes well, SpaceShipOne
will rocket to X Prize altitude (62 miles), then glide back to the Mojave Spaceport,
touching down at 8:30 a.m. here (11:30 ET). Flight
Plan
8:01 a.m. ET: A
full Moon looms large over the Mojave Spaceport in the predawn. The sky is clear,
and stars are bright. There's a light breeze skirting the desert landscape here.
All signs of Nature say, "Come on up."
7:37
a.m. ET: Officials
announced that Mike Melvill will pilot SpaceShipOne this morning. Melvill became
an astronaut in June when he piloted
the craft to its first suborbital flight. He is a test pilot and vice president/general
manager at Scaled Composites, LLC, the company that built the ship.
More X Prize News
All
Systems Go for First X Prize Flight
Sept. 28, 10:30 p.m. ET: On
the eve of SpaceShipOne's flight, the weather is perfect and spirits are soaring.
"We're ready," said the craft's designer Burt Rutan.
Set
to Soar: Mojave Spaceport Gears Up
Sept 27: Pins, patches, tote bags and hats are ready to
go as spaceflight fans converge again on the Mojave Spaceport in advance of
Wednesday's first attempt at the X Prize.
No
Major Engine Changes for SpaceShipOne, Builder Says
Sept. 27: The rocket engine behind the privately built,
piloted spacecraft SpaceShipOne will carry more propellant and burn longer during
a Wednesday space shot, but has not undergone any serious modifications since
its historic June flight.
Canadian
X Prize Team Delays Launch Attempt
Sept. 24: The countdown for the da Vinci Project launch
is on hold while engineers secure and test key components for their piloted
spacecraft.
Canadian
Ansari X Prize Team Pushes Toward First Launch
Sept. 20: With a successful balloon test under their belt
and launch paperwork almost in the bag, some eager Canadian rocketeers are confident
they will launch their privately built, human-carrying spaceship in time to
compete in an international space race.
SpaceShipOne
Rocket Engine Gets an Upgrade
Sept. 13: When SpaceShipOne screams skyward Sept. 29,
its rocket motor will be more powerful than ever, according to the engines builders.
Washington
State-Based Ansari X Prize Contestant's Spacecraft Explodes
Aug. 9: A team taking a low-budget stab at the $10 million
Ansari X Prize for private manned spaceflight suffered a setback Sunday, when
their rocket malfunctioned and exploded after shooting less than 1,000 feet
in the air.
The
Race is On: Second Private Team Sets Launch Date for Human Spaceflight
Aug. 5: TORONTO, Canada -- A second team of rocketeers
competing for the $10 million Ansari X Prize has officially announced the first
launch date for its manned rocket.
|
Prelude
to the X Prize
|
The
First Crewed Civilian Space Mission
SpaceShipOne already made history on June 21, with Mike Melvill being
the first civilian to pilot a craft into space. It was a successful
test run for the X Prize flights. SPACE.com covered the historic event
with pictures and reports from the scene. |
|
X
Prize Gallery
