Scaled Composites

Here's two links to all the wonderful information on SpaceShipOne or what I've been refering to as "The SSO"

http://www.scaled.com/projects/tierone/ ... s_text.htm


http://www.scaled.com/projects/tierone/ ... t_data.htm

The website is in frames but those are just the page links. So you can actually read it!!

The glider flew again on 27 Aug. with a test of its "feather" reentry characteristics and expanded flight envelopes. This thing is going to fly to space before the end of the year I would think.

How far along has the engine development for the SS1 come? Has Scaled chosen yet which engine they like best? I hope the engine(s) still need a lot of testing and tweaking to give the other teams more time to finish their projects and beat Scaled Composites to the finish line.

Oh well, according to the latest test flight report on september 23rd, SS1 had quite unexpected aft-CG handling characteristics. The competition might yet get very exciting.

SS1 flew on 4 Dec, and fired it's rocket engine.

http://www.mojavebooks.com/mhv/031204-1.html

Good I hope it becomes the first of many!

There's supposed to be a 30-day notification requirement before any X-prize attempts. Haven't heard anything. Looks like the Wright anniversry will come and go, but looks like an early 2004 attempt.

Irving, are you with the X Prize committee? If not, then why do you think you would receive any notification? I'd guess Rutan will give short notice, if any before his first attempt at suborbital.

No, not with the committee. But considering the Xprize's grandiose Cup plans, you'd expect quick publicity as soon as any team offically notifies of the attempt. While I can accept the need for each of the teams to work in secret, the Xprize committee would be undermining its own efforts to keep such information secret. For the long-term impact of the x-prize, it would be important to obtain maxiumum publicity for any attempt--to include the month-long lead-up to any such attempt.

If Burt Rutan and Scaled Composites work as they have on previous projects, such as Voyager, development was private, flights were very public. Once Rutan has 100% confidence in the design, we will all know about the flight plans.

I coming of the belief that Scaled is shooting for a (un-offical x-prize) suborbital flight on Dec 17th. If successful, 30-day notification of an Official X-Prize attempt should soon follow.

there's no way, they haven't even fired their engine yet, they can't do it that soon.

Witness the engine test firing. Note: I'm not saying it will be an X-prize flight. But I expect a flight which includes firing the rocket on the 17th for the Wright anniversary.

that's what i expect too, but not suborbital. probably a horizontal firing to get it supersonic then they'll feather and come down.

Possibly. However I'd think they'd like something more significant for the Wright Anniversary. Not an X-Prize attempt, but the 1st private sub-orbital flight maybe.