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Grypd

Member

From: Scotland, Europe

Registered: 2004-06-07

Posts: 1,879

Re: Spaceship 1 - going for it

Apparently Burt Rutan and his company plan to start there attempt on winning the X prize on monday 21st of june using there Spaceship1

I wish him and his company well and godspeed

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Chan eil mi aig a bheil ùidh ann an gleidheadh an status quo; Tha mi airson cur às e.

GCNRevenger

Member

From: Earth

Registered: 2003-10-14

Posts: 6,056

Re: Spaceship 1 - going for it

Best of luck to them... especially since there is no ejection seat

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[i]"The power of accurate observation is often called cynicism by those that do not have it." - George Bernard Shaw[/i]

[i]The glass is at 50% of capacity[/i]

dicktice

Member

From: Nova Scotia, Canada

Registered: 2002-11-01

Posts: 1,764

Re: Spaceship 1 - going for it

Luck has nothing to do with a Burt Rutan effort--just good engineering inspiration and follow-through. Ejection beyond the stratosphere wouldn't be any safer than staying inside the aerospaceplane, anymore than it would the Space Shuttle. An ordinary parachute, routinely worn by test pilots of small aircraft, will suffice once back in atmospheric subsonic flight, e.g., in case of airframe fault. So, why am I crossing my fingers and toes for him?

GCNRevenger

Member

From: Earth

Registered: 2003-10-14

Posts: 6,056

Re: Spaceship 1 - going for it

Because the shmuck is riding in an experimental controlled bomb to 2000mph with no off-switch? ...Being pressure-fed, SS-1's oxidizer tank and engine can't be shut off once started.

USN "psuedo-space men" have jumped off of stratosphereic balloon platforms before, the trick is that you slow down from air resistance when you get to the thicker part of the atmosphere... dangerous as heck, but I don't know if its safer to stay with the rocket thats about to blow.

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[i]"The power of accurate observation is often called cynicism by those that do not have it." - George Bernard Shaw[/i]

[i]The glass is at 50% of capacity[/i]

Rxke

Member

From: Belgium

Registered: 2003-11-03

Posts: 3,669

Re: Spaceship 1 - going for it

Nozzle ablation, for one.

It is a bit of a concern, because it tends to make the ride more 'irregular', towards the end of the burn, and none of the two testflights were without their glitches...

I'm not saying it's suicide or close to it, but they'll need to do *a lot* more flights to have a good idea of the reusability/dependability of the hardware.

Let's hope everything turns out ok, the first several flights, though.

GCNRevenger

Member

From: Earth

Registered: 2003-10-14

Posts: 6,056

Re: Spaceship 1 - going for it

I'm wondering if there isn't any old proven liquid fueled engine around the size of the one SS1 one uses that burns storables.

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[i]"The power of accurate observation is often called cynicism by those that do not have it." - George Bernard Shaw[/i]

[i]The glass is at 50% of capacity[/i]

Rxke

Member

From: Belgium

Registered: 2003-11-03

Posts: 3,669

Re: Spaceship 1 - going for it

Why?

I thought they chose for the hybrid one they're using because it's more hassle-free (ie. less eplosion risks, cheap) than classic liquid but still restartable (advantage compared to SRB's)

It's less performant, but it aint shooting for orbital, so i guess they're happy with the trade-off...

And it still gives off a nice visible flame, compared to, say Armadillo's 'invisible' burning H2O2-silver catalyst reaction motors... There's no business as showbusiness...

Rxke

Member

From: Belgium

Registered: 2003-11-03

Posts: 3,669

Re: Spaceship 1 - going for it

Our "friend" (he doesn't like Zubrin...) Rand Simberg has a blog running from Mojave...

http://www.transterrestrial.com/]http:/ … trial.com/

Rxke

Member

From: Belgium

Registered: 2003-11-03

Posts: 3,669

Re: Spaceship 1 - going for it

Running audio commentary http://www.live365.com/stations/dliving … gston]here

(currently they're talking about Mars!)

EDIT: 1344 GMT: Never mind... Their server can't handle the load anymore, sigh...)

GCNRevenger

Member

From: Earth

Registered: 2003-10-14

Posts: 6,056

Re: Spaceship 1 - going for it

Why would Scaled go with a hybrid engine?

1: Its cheaper than a liquid turbopump engine

2: Easier to handle when not running, but it can still blow when it is running.

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[i]"The power of accurate observation is often called cynicism by those that do not have it." - George Bernard Shaw[/i]

[i]The glass is at 50% of capacity[/i]

Rxke

Member

From: Belgium

Registered: 2003-11-03

Posts: 3,669

Re: Spaceship 1 - going for it

Succes!

Blow-by-blow report on http://www.spaceflightnow.com/ss1/statu … eflightnow

pulled 5g, reached 62 (edit) MILES. Pilot heard 3 loud bangs, but SS1 seems ok, if a little bit 'scorched'

Melvill: ""Man!" Melvill said, shaking his fists together as he climbed from SpaceShipOne. "I went pretty high, though. When I got to the top, I released a bag of M&Ms in the cockpit. It was absolutely amazing. M&Ms were going all around. It was so cool! We have got to have video of that because I did it in front of one of the video cameras. I haven't ate them. They are in the cockpit."

TheMadCap

Banned

From: NC

Registered: 2004-04-11

Posts: 27

Re: Spaceship 1 - going for it

Indeed a historic event!!! Congrats to Rutan and Scaled for a job well done. Now do it a few hundred more times!

C M Edwards

Member

From: Lake Charles LA USA

Registered: 2002-04-29

Posts: 1,012

Re: Spaceship 1 - going for it

Every time a rocket zings, an astronaut gets his wings... 

Hurray! May there be many more!

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"We go big, or we don't go."  - GCNRevenger

Palomar

Member

From: USA

Registered: 2002-05-30

Posts: 9,734

Re: Spaceship 1 - going for it

Every time a rocket zings, an astronaut gets his wings... 

*That's a good one. 

Space tourism interest up as a result (not surprising).  Estimated price tag is $10,000 per passenger, according to one article I can't find again.  :-\

Lots of space history being made in 2004.  Seems a banner year.

--Cindy

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We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...

--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)

Ian Flint

Member

From: Colorado

Registered: 2003-09-24

Posts: 437

Re: Spaceship 1 - going for it

"Hey, good job Burt!  Now it's rubber ducky's turn.

Rubber ducky and Space Ship One...
You make spaceflight so much fun!
Allen and Melvill, I'm awefully fond of youuuu....!
Doo-doo-boo-bee-doop-dee-doop!"

That was the official announcement from Ernie.  Oscar kept butting in with probing questions about "space junk."  His comments have been edited out.

Rxke

Member

From: Belgium

Registered: 2003-11-03

Posts: 3,669

Re: Spaceship 1 - going for it

Estimated price tag is $10,000 per passenger, according to one article I can't find again.  :-\

Burt is quoted as saying it will be about 100k... Eventually dropping to 50k with the next-gen launchers... Still a load of dough.

IIRC SpaceAdventures sells seats in the 98k range... They have already 2 million$ worth of reservations (each costing 10k allegedly...)

Hmmmm.... What will i buy?  A Ferrari that i can't drive faster than 90mph legally, or a spaceride... Tough choice...
*counts small change*
I guess I'll settle for a bus-ticket.

dicktice

Member

From: Nova Scotia, Canada

Registered: 2002-11-01

Posts: 1,764

Re: Spaceship 1 - going for it

While the "firsts" are piling up for private enterprise, the way they did  back in the period 1903-to-1913, when 'most every single flight was a first-time-ever accomplishment . . . the following commentary lays out what should be happening behind the scenes of all the thrills and entertainment, right?
   

Engineers need to work on a reliable, re-usable, and affordable vehicle that can reach orbit around the Earth, says Jim Benson, founder of space technology company SpaceDev, based in Poway, California. "What we need to strive for now is make it even simpler," he says.

Palomar

Member

From: USA

Registered: 2002-05-30

Posts: 9,734

Re: Spaceship 1 - going for it

*Just occurred to me:  In the U.S., airline pilots for commercial airliners must retire at age 60.  Mike Melville -- SpaceShipOne's pilot -- is 63.  Yeah, I know SS1 is a private venture.

He looks very healthy and etc. for his age.  It's kind of scary to think 63 "doesn't look that old" anymore.  :-\   

--Cindy

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We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...

--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)

Rxke

Member

From: Belgium

Registered: 2003-11-03

Posts: 3,669

Re: Spaceship 1 - going for it

It's kind of scary to think 63 "doesn't look that old" anymore.

Scary? I love it...

My teacher is 73, and he is up there with the best, mentally, and surely beats 99% of his colleagues in experience, wich makes it an HONOUR for me being taught by him...

Melvill has *19* years of experience as a test-pilot, If I were in the experimental-plane business, I'd hire him any day, above a 20-ish years old with 'lightning-fast' reflexes... (EDIT: NewScientist say its 25yrs...)

So, yeah, I guess, despite both these examples being anecdotal, there *is* an evolution going on where people continue to live their life in full, much longer than was 'common,' only years ago...

I'm purty sure that our current culture of 'learn lifelong if you want to' (making this much easier thanks to the vast amount of info at the touch of a button with the 'net, BTW,...) has a lot to do with it...

Palomar

Member

From: USA

Registered: 2002-05-30

Posts: 9,734

Re: Spaceship 1 - going for it

It's kind of scary to think 63 "doesn't look that old" anymore.

Scary? I love it...

My teacher is 73, and he is up there with the best, mentally, and surely beats 99% of his colleagues in experience, wich makes it an HONOUR for me being taught by him...

Melvill has *19* years of experience as a test-pilot, If I were in the experimental-plane business, I'd hire him any day, above a 20-ish years old with 'lightning-fast' reflexes... (EDIT: NewScientist say its 25yrs...)

So, yeah, I guess, despite both these examples being anecdotal, there *is* an evolution going on where people continue to live their life in full, much longer than was 'common,' only years ago...

I'm purty sure that our current culture of 'learn lifelong if you want to' (making this much easier thanks to the vast amount of info at the touch of a button with the 'net, BTW,...) has a lot to do with it...

*Oh, please don't get me wrong.  I think it's fantastic that older people are much more active than their predecessors.  I type medical reports all the time of the 60+ crowd going hiking, swimming, skydiving, backpacking, etc.,etc.  They're quite rambunctious and energetic compared to what old folks were like 25 years ago.  :-\  Puts some younger folks to shame.

My comment "It's kind of scary to think 63 'doesn't look that old' anymore" has to do with MY getting older.  You know, "the older I get, the YOUNGER everyone else looks" thing.  :-\ 

I remember a time not long ago when anyone over 60 was absolutely -Ancient- in my books. 

--Cindy  :laugh:

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We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...

--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)

Lars_J

Banned

Registered: 2004-02-11

Posts: 82

Re: Spaceship 1 - going for it

It looks like the SS1 flight experienced a fair bit of problems - they might have had some luck...

From this BBC article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/natu … tm]X-Prize runs 'may have to wait'

... "The anomaly we had today is the most serious flight safety systems problem that we have had in the entire programme," said Rutan, during a press conference following the flight. ...

... Rutan said the team was assessing a sudden roll seconds after SpaceShipOne's motor ignited and a more serious glitch that occurred when Melvill reached the highest peak of his suborbital flight. He was attempting to tweak his altitude by manoeuvring the nose of the plane when the flight control system that operates flaps on the ship's wings failed. Melvill activated the back-up system but the ship was already off course by 35km (22 miles). The problem also ate into the engine performance during the climb to space and kept Melvill short of reaching his intended mark 110km (68 miles) above the atmosphere...

... "There is no way we would fly again without knowing the cause and without assuring we have totally fixed it because it's a very critical system," Rutan said.

I hope they get the issues sorted out so they can keep flying and try for the 110 km record again. (The X-15 has the current record for a sub-orbital aircraft at 107.5 km)

GCNRevenger

Member

From: Earth

Registered: 2003-10-14

Posts: 6,056

Re: Spaceship 1 - going for it

So much for hourly transcontinental flights

---

[i]"The power of accurate observation is often called cynicism by those that do not have it." - George Bernard Shaw[/i]

[i]The glass is at 50% of capacity[/i]

Ian Flint

Member

From: Colorado

Registered: 2003-09-24

Posts: 437

Re: Spaceship 1 - going for it

... "The anomaly we had today is the most serious flight safety systems problem that we have had in the entire programme," said Rutan, during a press conference following the flight. ...

You make this sound like a bad thing.  This is the most serious problem they have had and nothing has blown up and nobody has died and they successfully reached the 100 km mark.  It sounds like they have a very safe, effective program. And I bet they will work these bugs out in a couple of months and still win the X-prize.

Palomar

Member

From: USA

Registered: 2002-05-30

Posts: 9,734

Re: Spaceship 1 - going for it

And I bet they will work these bugs out in a couple of months and still win the X-prize.

*In a couple of months?  ???  According to the news I heard last night, they've got 14 days.

Can't recall the specifics of the X-Prize (I'm information overloaded as it is).

--Cindy

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We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...

--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)

clark

Member

Registered: 2001-09-20

Posts: 6,362

Re: Spaceship 1 - going for it

They have to give prior notice on their first attempt several months in advance- this first shot did not meet that criteria.

They are still practicing, and are far ahead of everybody else. All this means is that they have to do another "first" (this one will probably be fully loaded) and then the second attempt 14 days later.

They can do this a dozen times, as long as they do it before midnight Dec. 31, 2004. That's when Burt Rutan turns into a Pumpkin.