The da Vinci Project is a privately-funded, volunteer-staffed attempt to launch a reusable manned suborbital spacecraft. It was a contender for the Ansari X Prize for the first non-governmental reusable manned spacecraft. The project is based in Ontario, Canada and led by Brian Feeney. Following sponsorship, it is now officially known by the unwieldy title of The Golden Palace.com Space Program Powered by the da Vinci Project. A sub-orbital spaceflight (or sub-orbital flight) is a spaceflight that does not involve putting a vehicle into orbit. ... Ariane 5 lifts off with the Rosetta probe on 2nd of March, 2004. ... The X prize logo shows a stylised letter X representing a spacecraft trajectory and containing a starfield. ... Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Loyal it began, loyal it remains) Other Canadian provinces and territories Capital Toronto Largest city Toronto Lieutenant Governor James K. Bartleman Premier Dalton McGuinty (Liberal) Area 1,076,395 km² (4th)  - Land 917,741 km²  - Water 158,654 km² (14. ... Brian Feeney leads the da Vinci Project, a participant in the X-Prize competition, and is based in Ontario, Canada. ...

Crew

• Vladimir Kudriavtsev, Team Leader, Engineering and R&D
• Brian Feeney, Da Vinci Project Team Leader
• Max Buneta, System Analysis and Design
• James Porcher, Ground Operations
• Asier Ania, Thermal Analyst
• Michael Trauttmansdorff, System Design and CAD
• Ta-Liang Hsu, Stress Analyst
• Marek Krzeminski, Dynamics and Control
• Kalman Rooz, Senior Consultant

Brian Feeney leads the da Vinci Project, a participant in the X-Prize competition, and is based in Ontario, Canada. ...

Design

The project's design concept calls for a small rocket-powered spacecraft to be air launched from a helium balloon at an altitude of about 24 km. The project has therefore built both the spacecraft and the launching balloon and can be described as manned rockoon. A Redstone rocket, part of the Mercury program A rocket is a vehicle, missile or aircraft which obtains thrust by the reaction to the ejection of fast moving exhaust gas from within a rocket engine. ... Ariane 5 lifts off with the Rosetta probe on 2nd of March, 2004. ... A Boeing X-43 being air launched from under the wing of a B-52 Stratofortress. ... A rockoon (derived from the terms rocket and balloon) was an extension to the rocket, which allowed the rocket to achieve further distance. ...

Spacecraft

Note: some of this information is from an earlier version of the design, and so may be inaccurate.

The spacecraft, Wild Fire, is predominantly cylindrical, with a diameter of 1.42 m and overall length of 4.88 m. It has a crew capsule at one end, rocket motor at the other, and propellant tanks between. Wild Fire is a manned rocket vehicle designed and built as part of the da Vinci Project, an attempt to win the Ansari X Prize for the first privately-funded reusable spacecraft. ... The metre is the basic unit of length in the International System of Units (SI: Système International dUnités). ...

The crew capsule is spherical, with a diameter of 1.42 m. It is designed to accommodate three humans in a pressurised atmosphere, but the crew will wear pressure suits. The capsule can separate from the remainder of the craft if necessary, and has its own emergency parachute. There are sixteen large windows, covering most of the front half of the capsule, providing a clear view. The Apollo 15 capsule landed safely despite a parachute failure. ...

The spacecraft has a hybrid rocket motor, with solid hydroxy-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB, or rubber) fuel and liquid nitrous oxide oxidiser. The nozzle is steerable. A hybrid rocket propulsion system typically comprises a solid fuel and a liquid or gas oxidizer. ... A motor is a device that converts energy into mechanical power, and is often synonymous with engine. ... Hydroxy-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB), a butadiene, is a stable and easily stored synthetic rubber, often used in tire manufacturing. ... Rubber is an elastic hydrocarbon polymer which occurs as a milky emulsion (known as latex) in the sap of a number of plants but can also be produced synthetically. ... For the workstation, see SGI Fuel. ... Nitrous oxide, also known as dinitrogen oxide or dinitrogen monoxide, is a chemical compound with chemical formula N2O. Under room conditions it is a colourless non-flammable gas, with a pleasant slightly sweet odor. ... Rocket Nozzle A nozzle is a mechanical device designed to control the characteristics of a fluid flow as it exits from an enclosed chamber into some medium. ...

There is also a cold gas reaction control system, using helium propellant. A reaction control system (abbreviated RCS) is a component of a spacecraft. ...

The craft uses an autopilot originally developed for turbine aircraft, and can also be flown manually. Both the autopilot and manual controls can control both the RCS system and the engine gimbals.

In the original design, during reentry, the vehicle deploys a ballute, an inflated conical balloon that makes the vehicle aerodynamically stable, provides drag, and acts as a heat shield. The ballute would remain inflated until landing, where it cushions the impact. Between 7 km and 3 km altitude the vehicle would also deploy a parafoil, which is used both to slow descent and to steer to the landing zone. There would also be a backup parachute for the spacecraft, in addition to a separate parachute for the separable crew capsule. A ballute (a compound word combinding balloon and parachute) is a device that has been proposed for use in spacecraft aerobraking. ... A parafoil is a nonrigid airfoil, designed with an aerodynamically inflated cell structure. ...

By 2003, the design had been revised for a more simple design: the ballute concept was abandoned, and the crew capsule and propulsion stage would separate and independently descend with parachutes.

Balloon

The balloon is helium-filled, fully reusable, and piloted. General Name, Symbol, Number helium, He, 2 Chemical series noble gases Group, Period, Block 18, 1, s Appearance colorless Atomic mass 4. ... Aviators are people who fly aircraft either for pleasure or for a job. ...

History and status

The project was established in 1996. It is named after Leonardo da Vinci, who, among innumerable other inventions, was the first recorded person to design an aircraft. The project is staffed entirely by volunteers, about 600 so far. 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo da Vinci (April 15, 1452 – May 2, 1519) was an Italian Renaissance architect, musician, anatomist, inventor, engineer, sculptor, geometer, and painter. ...

The project unveiled their spacecraft, Wild Fire, on August 5, 2004 at a hangar at Downsview Airport in Toronto. At this point it was a contender for the Ansari X Prize, and Tier One had just given notice of their planned competitive flights. When announcing the unveiling, the da Vinci Project also appealed for funds to fly Wild Fire. GoldenPalace.com stepped forward with approximately 500,000 (presumably Canadian) dollars, and the project immediately gave the required 60 day notice that they would make Ansari X Prize competitive flights. Wild Fire is a manned rocket vehicle designed and built as part of the da Vinci Project, an attempt to win the Ansari X Prize for the first privately-funded reusable spacecraft. ... August 5 is the 217th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (218th in leap years), with 148 days remaining. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... }|135px|City of Toronto, Ontario Official Flag]]|Coat Image=[[Image:{{{Coat Image}}}|135px|City of Toronto, Ontario Coat of Arms]]}} {{Canadian City/Disable Field={{{Disable Motto Link}}}}} Motto: Diversity Our Strength {{Canadian City/Location Image is:{{{Location Image Type}}}|[[Image:{{{Location Image}}}|thumbnail|250px|City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada Location. ... The X prize logo shows a stylised letter X representing a spacecraft trajectory and containing a starfield. ... Tier One is Scaled Composites program of suborbital human spaceflight using the reusable spacecraft SpaceShipOne and its launcher White Knight. ... GoldenPalace. ... The X prize logo shows a stylised letter X representing a spacecraft trajectory and containing a starfield. ...

The da Vinci Project initially announced that it would fly first on October 2, 2004, launching from Kindersley, Saskatchewan. This was only three days after the first expected X Prize flight, by the Tier One project, on September 29, 2004. However, on September 23, 2004 the da Vinci project announced that they would not be ready in time, and the launch would be delayed by at least a few days. Tier One won the X Prize on October 4, 2004, before the da Vinci Project flew at all. October 2nd is the 275th day (276th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 90 days remaining. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Kindersley is a town in western Saskatchewan. ... Tier One is Scaled Composites program of suborbital human spaceflight using the reusable spacecraft SpaceShipOne and its launcher White Knight. ... September 29 is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years). ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... September 23 is the 266th day of the year (267th in leap years). ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 4 is the 277th day of the year (278th in Leap years). ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

It is planned that the first da Vinci Project spaceflight will carry a famous soccer ball which was bought by GoldenPalace.com in July 2004 and which they are exhibiting on tour. The ball is famous for its use in the 2004 European Football Championship, where David Beckham missed a kick from the penalty mark using the ball as part of England's quarter-final defeat to the host nation Portugal. The striker (wearing red jersey) has run past the defender (in white jersey) and is about to take a shot at the goal, while the goalkeeper positions himself to stop the ball. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Euro 2004 Logo The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly called EURO 2004, was held in Portugal between 12 June and 4 July 2004. ... David Beckham David Robert Joseph Beckham OBE (born May 2, 1975) is an English footballer born in Leytonstone, London. ... Ricardo scores a decisive penalty in the quarterfinals of EURO 2004 Kicks from the penalty mark (commonly referred to as a penalty shootout) are sometimes used to decide which team progresses to the next stage of a tournament following a tied result in a game of association football (soccer). ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Ethnicity...

External links

• The da Vinci Project home page
• Team Summary Sheet, including design specs
• SpaceShipOne and Wild Fire to Go For the Gold
• BBC News article: Second team goes for space prize
• The Register article: Beckham penalty outrage ball heads for space
• SPACE.com article: Canadian X Prize Team Delays Launch Attempt
• Daily Planet video: Interview with Brian Feeney about launch delay