Rutan's SpaceshipOne Hits 200,000 Feet

An anonymous reader writes "Burt Rutan's privately-built SpaceshipOne is one step closer to winning the X-Prize after zooming to what witnesses say was somewhere around 200,000 feet on only its third powered flight. (See also the partial update from Scaled Composites.)"

Comments

Sounds like...

[brejc8]

Rutan's SpaceshipOne Hits 200,000 Feet
As it launched it turned 90 degrees and skimmed along an inch off the ground through the croud.

There should have been an earth shattering ka-boom

[StarWynd]

Chalk up another booming flight of the privately-backed SpaceShipOne

I don't know about everyone else, but I just hate it when my spaceship goes *boom*.

Spaceship One

[ACNeal]

Isn't that the name of the space ship Andy Griffith made to go get the garbage off the moon?

Not the best way to determine altitude

[Anonymous Coward]

after zooming to what witnesses say was somewhere around 200,000 feet ...

Witnesses looking up into the sky:
"Wow, that looks like, what, about 100,000 ..."
"Nah, looks more like, I'd say 200,000 feet to me."
"Ya, about 200,000 feet looks right."

Thanks !

[AtariAmarok]

You've brought back many a memory of model rocketry. Bless the memory of Vern Estes.

Re:geez

[Mattcelt]

but what is 3 miles between slashdot posters?

Not enough.

Re:Just think

[WaxParadigm]

They could sell this Technology to the NKoreans and then they would have a working ICBM.

Not just an ICBM but a manned ICBM. You can imagine the intense competition for that job.

Re:geez-- employee of NASA??

[peragrin]

he said 93Miles 150 KM not 93 km. if minimum stable orbit is 350km what is it in miles?

You must work for NASA right?

LEO now, Mars next

[squiggleslash]

Budding space pioneers should now know that there is an incentive to go beyond the narrow confines of the X-Prize and go where no man has gone before. This in the form of the natural follow-up to the X-Prize, The Squiggleslash Prize For Human Achievement, which will go to the first person or group to land a person on Mars and bring them safely back home - with an expiry date of 23rd February, 2008 to discourage slacking.

The amount of this prize was, until recently, $6,000, which by itself would be a remarkable incentive. But thanks to Stargoat, this has been increased by a massive 50% to NINE THOUSAND DOLLARS. (US$)

If you're interested, get going! All it takes to get to Mars is a lot of imagination, thinking outside of the box, pro-active team playing and self-motivation. What are you waiting for?