Rutan no go for July 4th?

It's May 4th and I haven't seen any news from Scaled or the x-prize website about an attempt. Guess that means Rutan and SS1 aren't going to start an official run on July 4th... so much for the rumors.

Rumors are just that. Rumors.

Rutan doesn't announce flights in advance, so the lack of an announcement doesn't mean anything.

the x-prize will probably announce when the first attempt is going to be. but there's a 30 day notification period, not a 2 month notification period, so when it hits june 5-6th, then we can say he won't be launching an x-prize flight july 4th. i don't know where you people get the idea of a longer notification.

We don't know all.. but we know a little about next flight..

SpaceShipOne pilot Brian Binnie is quoted as saying that the next powered flight is aimed at achieving velocities of more than twice the speed of sound and an altitude of 250,000 feet. That would be more than twice as high as the previous supersonic flight, and two-thirds of the way to the magic 100-kilometer (62-mile) mark.

hmmm dunno where I got the 60 days then... I just checked. I was wrong! bah...



... I suppose the slow pace of updates is making me antsy. Which, you know, is very very frustrating.

What is happening is ground breaking and has the chance to revolutionize the way we travel and think about space. WHY am I looking on the front page of every newspaper and web site and seeing IRAQ... /sigh

One thing I have never quite understood from the rules:

If a contestant team wanted to be quiet about their launch, let's say, because they didn't want bad publicity due to some failure, could they stipulate to X-Prize Foundation not to publicize their launch date? They could then announce their success if and only if it occured (similar to how the Soviets handled their launch PR once upon a time).

I realize that such a thing would be hard to do in the USA, where the FAA will make a big deal out of every launch licence they grant, but in other countries it may not be so. For instance, DaVinci was granted a launch permit by the Canadian government, but they didn't make a peep about it, and neither did the press.

Why do you want a flight on July 4? Just to alienate and annoy the rest of the world with more "no other country exists" American triunmphalism? Space does not have international boundaries....yet. Don't accelerate their creation.

Hah. Outside of the U.S. July 4th is associated entirely with fireworks.

A July 4th run is a Euphemisim for exploding...

Space will not be a place of international peace and love. I'm positive it will NOT be star trek, much more like star wars. (to use the SciFi analogy).

As long as there is commercial access to space then there will be competition which leads to winners and losers. What i'm really hoping for is some freedom... now that the United States has gone the way of empire, I just want out... though now, the US will have it's fingers everywhere. ...bring back the old west PLEASE, i'll be there with spurs and rockets on.

Here in NZ 4th of July is just the fourth day in July.

However we do celebrate Guyfawx (spelling?), the guy who tried to blow up the british parliament thus killing all the influential politicians of the day. Actually, I think we celebrate the fact that he didn't make it.

Perhaps this would be a good day for a starchaser launch.

So... the Americans will build the Death Star?

Anyway.. ever hear of the fourth of July beetle... Its the proposed missing link before the evolution of a stink bug I think. Anyway its mixes a bunch of chemicals and natural selection meant a huge portion of them exploded before their decendants got the process right.

In fact any association with the 4th of July is really odd for the X Pize. It's probably fine for American teams but get whizz thats a bad image.

luke.r: Seriously, man. Get over it. It's comments like that that reinforce the so-called "American Imperialism": "Yeah, well, he's just jealous of REAL democracy just 'cuz he lives in a country that can't make up it's mind whether it's a monarchy or a socialism." (usually said while knocking back another longneck)

Space doesn't have international boundaries because there's nobody there. If you think that whole "spirit of international cooperation" thing will last longer than a water balloon cycled out into hard vacuum, you're nuts. Granted that it'll continue within the hard-core scientific community, but with the Colonists and Spacers? Fahgeddaboudit! The colonists want their little patch of dirt, and may God's Own Army help you if you trespass upon it. The Spacers want to keep moving, and will happily blow the living hell out of anything or anyone that attempts to stop them -- and make a damn good profit while they're at it. These people either thrive on the existence and protection of their borders (like the Colonists), or they thrive on the existence and indefensibility of the same borders, along with the profits to be made on illegal goods (like the Spacers).

And don't worry, Todd075: the beauty of space is that there's more than enough room for all of us.

Actually wasn't there a signifigance to a second date after July 4th within the two week period? I seem to remember someone mentioning that Rutan would get two meaningful dates by going with a July 4th launch.

yeah, i think it was the anniversary of the suborbital x-15 flight, but i'm not sure about that at all.

Well I for one am definitely looking forward to the "Colonists" aspect. I worry though that nations on earth will want to have a say over those pioneers that leave. Much like the British over the American colonies a few centuries back. It could cause real problems...

hehe, you know... the more things change the more they stay the same.

Just to expound on another thought... How many pilgrams died that first winter in america? There's never reward without risk and the future in space is the same thing. Some things may be worth the risk. Such as leaving the represive and ignorant regimes that exist around the earth today and creating a new home elsewhere.