Spaceship One - a Historical Perspective

Spaceship One has just reached the 60,000 metre mark. 212,000 ft, for those in the USA, about 6 times the altitude that Intercontinental jets fly at.
On August 22, 1963, the X-15, also a manned aerospace craft, was launched from a B-52 bomber, reached 354,000 ft. That’s over 40 years ago. So what’s the big deal?
The answer is that it’s a relatively small firm that’s doing it; They didn’t just build the aerospacecraft, they built the launch platform as well; And they intend to fly just as high as the X-15, and do so twice within three weeks, using the same vehicle. Oh yes, it also carries passengers.
I’ve done a little research on the history of air-launched rocket programs… Read More