Tribune witnesses private rocket make history

MOJAVE, Calif.—Aviation history was made yesterday in the barren expanses of the Mojave desert, as SpaceShipOne became the first craft developed with private funds to send a man into the reaches of space. An international array of media—including the Saipan Tribune—and thousands of spectators attended the event, in which pilot Michael Melvill left the Earth’s surface at 6:45am on Monday (PDT), returning safely to Mojave airport exactly 90 minutes later in a picture-perfect landing. During the flight he attained an altitude of 328,491 feet (about 62 miles).

The post-dawn launch was accomplished in the crisp, blue, cloudless skies that have long endeared test pilots to desert settings. Strong overnight winds calmed just after dawn, settling into a mild breeze. Conditions, in other words, were perfect for flying.

The event began with one of aviation’s most oddball sights: The huge and lanky White Knight jet, mother ship for SpaceShipOne, taxied for takeoff with the SpaceShipOne snug beneath, as loudspeakers offered a play-by-play narration for the thousands of people in attendance. Several other aircraft, as “chase” and filming planes, were also part of the mission.

After its 6:45am takeoff, White Knight entered a broad, climbing spiral northwest of the airport, eventually climbing out of sight. The roar of its jets faded in and out of audibility for fully five minutes after takeoff. It took about an hour to reach 46,000 feet, at which point SpaceShipOne decoupled from White Knight, lit off its rocket engine, and zoomed up into space and into history.

The rocket’s ignition was an impressive sight, clearly visible from the ground. It appeared as a thick white contrail east of the airport in mid-sky, and it shot straight up. The streak grew for about 90 seconds, subtending 35 degrees of arc at full length. Seeing that streak start, then abruptly end, one couldn’t help but wondering what it was like to be flung into the maw of space in that tiny, experimental rocket ship.

But if “up” was an accomplishment, so was “down.” The task now was for Melvill to glide to a safe landing back at Mojave airport. About 10 minutes after the streak of the rocket contrail had stopped growing upwards, SpaceShipOne once again showed evidence of itself, this time having descended back into view as a mere speck, surrounded by other little specks that were the chase planes.

The craft’s descent was so fast that only four minutes later the speck had grown into an easily identifiable aircraft. As it plunged earthwards, the plane and its formation of chase aircraft maneuvered to enter a right hand landing pattern for the Mojave airport. SpaceShipOne appeared to be about 4,000 feet above the airport as it entered the landing pattern, and when it made a tight turn to final approach the crowd was so close to the action that the craft’s landing gear was clearly visible. The landing appeared to be utterly flawless.

Moments afterwards, the White Knight mother ship did a fly-by for the crowd, capping the event with a victorious flourish.

SpaceShipOne and White Knight were developed by Scaled Composites, LLC, the brainchild of aircraft designer Burt Rutan, who is known for his wildly unconventional creations. Scaled Composites was heretofore best known for its Voyager airplane, which, in 1986, became the first airplane to fly around the world non-stop without refueling. The company has about 160 employees and is situated in Mojave, a tiny and remote desert town with a population of just 3,763.

Paul Allen, of Microsoft fame, provided financial backing for SpaceShipOne.

Although the successful mission puts SpaceShipOne in the favored position to eventually capture a $10 million prize for privatized space flight, such a prize would cover only a portion of the reported $20 million to $30 million development costs. There is, clearly, more at stake here than a mere prize.

Indeed, SpaceShipOne is remarkable for its sheer entrepreneurial and technical audacity. And it’s also remarkable for its economic efficiency: This entire program, funded by private money, cost far less than NASA spends in just one average day.