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| THEY DID IT!!! - Private rocket ship breaks space barrier |
| 2004-06-21 |
| EFL MOJAVE, Calif. - The SpaceShipOne rocket plane soared high above the Earth on Monday, becoming the first privately developed craft to go into space. SpaceShipOne took off from the Mojave Airport, nestled beneath its White Knight carrier plane, at about 6:45 a.m. PT, sailing up into the clear desert sky. About an hour later, at an altitude of almost 50,000 feet, the White Knight released its companion craft, and SpaceShipOne test pilot Mike Melvill lit up his rocket engine for a 70-second straight-up blast. About 15 minutes later, officials announced that Melvill and SpaceShipOne had done it, reaching an altitude of at least 62 miles (100 kilometers), the internationally recognized boundary of outer space. At around 8:15 a.m. PT, SpaceShipOne glided safely back to Earth, landing back at the Mojave Airport. |
| Posted by:Yosemite Sam |
| #9 Fearless and Higher work for me...congrats Rutan and team! |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-06-21 10:25:56 PM |
| #8 Van Hagar (Van Halen) Higher and Higher (Thats what dreams are made of) - the old vid with the Blue Angels. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2004-06-21 10:22:32 PM |
| #7 Lenny Kravitz, "Fly Away" Foo Fighters, "Learn To Fly" James Horner, "The Launch" (Apollo 13 soundtrack). . . . and for those with really large LP collections: Moody Blues, "Higher and Higher" (To Our Children's Children's Children) Pink Floyd, "Fearless" (Meddle) and "The Gold It's In The . . . " (Obscured By Clouds;) |
| Posted by: Mike 2004-06-21 6:14:22 PM |
| #6 The Byrds: Eight Miles High |
| Posted by: mojo 2004-06-21 5:43:56 PM |
| #5 *cues up Steppenwolfe's Magic Carpet Ride. |
| Posted by: Anonymous4021 2004-06-21 3:50:04 PM |
| #4 About time. |
| Posted by: Chris W. 2004-06-21 3:38:57 PM |
| #3 All we need now are a FLIR and pyrex encased HellFires. Demand a Lettre of Reprisal! |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-06-21 1:56:09 PM |
| #2 Too cool! And more than a little ironic, looking at today's news. On one hand we have Islamonauts trying to drag us back into the 7th century and on the other, we have private citizen Astronauts trying to fly us into the future. I know whose side I'm on. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2004-06-21 1:39:21 PM |
| #1 Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings; Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there, I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung My eager craft through footless halls of air. Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace Where never lark, or even eagle flew - And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod The high untrespassed sanctity of space, Put out my hand and touched the face of God. --John Gillespie Magee, Jr., 1941 |
| Posted by: Mike 2004-06-21 1:15:40 PM |