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Rutan's SpaceshipOne Hits 200,000 Feet

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the i-can-see-my-house-from-here dept.

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.)"

7 of 292 comments (clear)

  1. Um ah... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

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

    Can you even see Spaceship 1 at 200,000? If I recall, the engine cuts off and Spaceship 1 coasts up the rest of the way, so there is no trail to follow.

  2. Two thirds of the way there... by tinrobot · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Isn't the goal 62.5 miles... that's about 330,000 feet.

    They're getting awfully close. I get the distinct feeling this one is going to win it very soon.

    1. Re:Two thirds of the way there... by plj · · Score: 4, Interesting

      According to international settings in Mac OS 10.3.3:

      60,960.00 metres in UK
      60,960.00 meters in US ;-)
      60.960,00 metres in Germany and Spain
      60 960,00 metres in Finland, France, Russia and Sweden (I live in Finland)
      60960.00 meters in US/POSIX

      Actually, space as a thousand separator sucks ass. There are zillions of non-aware (i.e. english-centric) programs that want to wrap words in the middle of numbers...

      --
      “Wait for Hurd if you want something real” –Linus
  3. Videos by HeghmoH · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I really, really want some videos of this or any other of SS1's test flights. Does anybody know if such things are out there to be downloaded?

    --
    Mod down posts with a "Free Mac Mini/iPod" sig, they're spam!
  4. Re:Re-launch? by robbymet · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It takes the Shuttle to so long to relaunch because the entire craft needs to be recertified before relaunch. That is because the design has virtually no margin, so under normal operating conditions there are components that are on the verge of failure. These components must all be inspected and potentially replaced before another flight can occur. A small, reasonably designed vehicle should be able to hit a two week turn around no problem. DARPA's RASCAL and FALCON programs require a 24-hour turnaround.

  5. Interesting trivia by Stephen+Samuel · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I presume that this is just coincidence, but it turns out that 41 miles is also the altitude for first-stage separation for Saturn V rockets going to the moon)
    See the section How Apollo Got to The Moon.

    --
    Free Software: Like love, it grows best when given away.
  6. Mojave Spaceport.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    A most interesting titbit in that article that I don't see anyone else has mentioned is that they've applied for a licence to allow Mojave airport to also become an inland commercial spaceport.

    Like an airport.. but FOR SPACE! Wow! ;)

    This is amazingly cool news and almost could be straight out of the pages of a science fiction book. Perhaps in a few years it will be major center for space traffic and commerce?