SpaceShipOne makes its final flight Oct. 4 2004

[Valin]

SpaceShipOne: The First Private Spacecraft
The Most Amazing Flying Machines Ever
Tim Sharp
October 02, 2014


Pilot Mike Melvill has some fun celebrating his successful private suborbital flight atop SpaceShipOne, as the tow vehicle pulls it to the general viewing area.


A major turning point for private spaceflight occurred on June 21, 2004, when SpaceShipOne, the first non-governmental manned spacecraft, flew 62.5 miles (100 kilometers) above Earth's surface to reach the boundary of space. After two more 2004 flights — one on Sept. 29 and another on Oct. 4 — the piloted vehicle won the $10 million Ansari X Prize for repeated flights in a privately developed reusable spacecraft.

SpaceShipOne was a space plane designed and fabricated by Scaled Composites, a company owned by aerospace designer Burt Rutan. Its development was backed by the deep pockets of billionaire Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, in a joint venture named Tier One whose objective was to develop technology for low-cost routine access to space.

SpaceShipOne was 28 feet (8.5 meters) long. The cigar-shaped fuselage was about 5 feet (1.5 meters) in diameter, and could carry a pilot and up to two passengers. The plane had short, wide wings with a 16-foot (5 m) span. Large vertical tail booms were mounted on the end of each wing. During re-entry, the rear half of the wings folded upward, increasing drag while maintaining stability; then the wings were moved back into gliding position for landing.

 

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyBg8UfTdA8