Flight 16P of SpaceShipOne was a spaceflight in the Tier One program that took place on September 29, 2004. It was the first competitive flight in the Ansari X Prize competition to demonstrate a non-governmental reusable manned spacecraft, and is hence also referred to as the X1 flight. A serious roll excursion occurred during boost, due to pilot error, so the flight did not achieve the expected altitude. However, it exceeded 100 km altitude, making it a successful X Prize flight. SpaceShipOne test pilot Mike Melvill Michael W. Melvill (born November 1941) is one of the test pilots for SpaceShipOne, the experimental spaceplane developed by Scaled Composites. ... September 29 is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years). ... 2004(MMIV) is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... UTC also stands for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Coordinated Universal Time or UTC, also sometimes referred to as Zulu time, the basis for civil time, differs by an integral number of seconds from atomic time and a fractional number of seconds from UT1. ... UTC also stands for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Coordinated Universal Time or UTC, also sometimes referred to as Zulu time, the basis for civil time, differs by an integral number of seconds from atomic time and a fractional number of seconds from UT1. ... SpaceShipOne and White Knight during a captive carry test flight The Scaled Composites Model 318 White Knight is a jet-powered carrier aircraft used to launch the SpaceShipOne experimental spacecraft. ... September 29 is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years). ... 2004(MMIV) is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A sub-orbital spaceflight (or sub-orbital flight) is a spaceflight that does not involve putting a vehicle into orbit. ... SpaceShipOne is small, having a three-person cabin and short but wide wings. ... Space exploration is the physical exploration of outer-Earth objects and generally anything that involves the technologies, science, and politics regarding space endeavors. ... 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(MMIV) is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The X prize logo shows a stylised letter X representing a spacecraft trajectory and containing a starfield. ...

Scheduling

X Prize rules required that the date and place of competitive flights be announced to the X PRIZE Foundation at least 60 days before the flight. Due to problems encountered during flight 15P on June 21, 2004, Scaled Composites did not immediately set a date for their competitive flights, suspecting that another test flight might be required. By July 7, 2004 Burt Rutan reported that the faults had been resolved and the next flights would be competitive. On July 27, 2004 the X PRIZE Foundation announced that Scaled Composites had given notice that they would make their first competitive flight on September 29, 2004. The X PRIZE Foundation is the non-profit organization operating the Ansari X Prize, a $10 million competition designed to encourage private exploration of space. ... Flight 15P of SpaceShipOne was the first privately-funded human spaceflight. ... June 21 is the 172nd day of the year (173rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 193 days remaining. ... 2004(MMIV) is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Scaled Composites (often abbreviated as Scaled) was founded in 1982 in Mojave, California by famous aircraft designer Burt Rutan out of what used to be the Rutan Aircraft Factory. ... July 7 is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 177 days remaining. ... 2004(MMIV) is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Elbert L. Burt Rutan (born June 17, 1943) is an aircraft designer known for designing light, strong, unusual-looking, energy-efficient aircraft. ... July 27 is the 208th day (209th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 157 days remaining. ... 2004(MMIV) is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... September 29 is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years). ... 2004(MMIV) is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The pilot initially selected for the flight withdrew due to stress about two weeks before the flight, after his wife gave birth and he also fell ill. Mike Melvill, who also piloted SpaceShipOne's sole previous spaceflight, stepped in to fly in his place. The choice of pilot was not publicly announced until about two hours before planned takeoff. Melvill was seen as a surprise choice, because after the previous flight he had said he wanted to take a break from flying SpaceShipOne and ride his motorbike more. In human spaceflight, a pilot is someone who directly controls the operation of a spacecraft while located within the same craft. ... SpaceShipOne test pilot Mike Melvill Michael W. Melvill (born November 1941) is one of the test pilots for SpaceShipOne, the experimental spaceplane developed by Scaled Composites. ... Flight 15P of SpaceShipOne was the first privately-funded human spaceflight. ... A motorcycle (or motorbike) is a two-wheeled vehicle powered by an engine. ...

Manifest

Under Ansari X Prize rules, the flight was required to carry 180 kg payload, to simulate two 90 kg human passengers. Scaled Composites announced early on that this, their first X Prize flight, would carry inanimate payload rather than live passengers. The payload included: The X prize logo shows a stylised letter X representing a spacecraft trajectory and containing a starfield. ... The international prototype, made of platinum-iridium, which is kept at the BIPM under conditions specified by the 1st CGPM in 1889. ... In cargo transport, payload is the valuable contents of the vehicle. ... Binomial name Homo sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 Subspecies Homo sapiens idaltu (extinct) Homo sapiens sapiens For other uses, see Human (disambiguation). ... A passenger is a person using but not operating an airplane, train, bus or other mode of transport. ... Scaled Composites (often abbreviated as Scaled) was founded in 1982 in Mojave, California by famous aircraft designer Burt Rutan out of what used to be the Rutan Aircraft Factory. ...

• X Prize flight monitoring equipment, known as the "gold box"
• the Explorers Club flag, by arrangement between the Explorers Club and the X PRIZE Foundation
• video equipment, producing a video stream that was broadcast live
• mementos from team members, including:
  • photographs
  • personal tools, including Burt Rutan's college slide rule
  • tree seedlings
  • the ashes of Burt Rutan's mother, Irene Rutan, who had died a few years earlier
  • an heirloom watch
  • a copy of Charles Lindbergh's book The Spirit of St. Louis
• a teddy bear being carried for the British charity Great North Air Ambulance
• lead ballast to make up the payload mass

The practice of carrying arbitrary non-functional items into space, which has previously been carried out by many Space Shuttle missions, is evidence that space travel is still widely seen as special. The value of symbolic items increases enormously if the item has flown in space, due to the restricted access to space. The teddy bear being carried for charity will be auctioned at a much higher price than it would otherwise command. Scaled Composites employees were made to sign a contract forbidding them from selling the mementos they put on the flight. The Explorers Club is international organzation formed by the survivors of Frederick Cooks 1894 Arctic expedition. ... A photograph (often just called a photo) is an image (or a representation of that on e. ... A modern hammer is directly descended from ancient hand tools A tool is a device that provides a mechanical or mental advantage in accomplishing a task. ... Elbert L. Burt Rutan (born June 17, 1943) is an aircraft designer known for designing light, strong, unusual-looking, energy-efficient aircraft. ... The slide rule is an analog computer, usually consisting of three interlocking calibrated strips and a sliding window, called the cursor. ... An heirloom in general is any old item or antique passed down from one generation to another. ... Pocket watch A watch is a small portable clock that displays the current time and sometimes the current day, date, month and year. ... Charles Lindbergh with the Spirit of St. ... Categories: Literature stubs | 1953 books | Books starting with S ... Teddy bear The Teddy bear is a stuffed toy bear for children. ... Allegorical personification of Charity as a mother with three infants by Anthony van Dyck Charity is a term in Christian theology (one of the three theological virtues), meaning loving kindness towards others; it is held to be the ultimate perfection of the human spirit, because it is said to both... The Great North Air Ambulance (GNAA) is a British charity based in Cumbria, England. ... General Name, Symbol, Number lead, Pb, 82 Chemical series poor metals Group, Period, Block 14, 6, p Appearance bluish white Atomic mass 207. ... Ballast may mean : Something that improves stability Track ballast (gravel or cinders) forms the railroad or railway track-bed on which sleepers (ties) and track is laid. ... The Space Shuttle Columbia seconds after engine ignition, 1981 (NASA). ...

SpaceShipOne and White Knight bore several logos for the flight. These were:

• Scaled Composites
• "SpaceShipOne: a Paul G. Allen project" on SpaceShipOne
• "White Knight" on White Knight
• Virgin Galactic, on the tails, following the signing earlier in the week of an agreement for Virgin Galactic to license Tier One technology for space tourism
• Virgin, on the fuselage
• Ansari X Prize, as required by X Prize rules
• The Spirit of St. Louis, a science center
• M&Ms, apparently in an act of sponsorship inspired by Melvill's antics with M&Ms during flight 15P
• 7-Up Plus
• Champ Car World Series

Scaled Composites (often abbreviated as Scaled) was founded in 1982 in Mojave, California by famous aircraft designer Burt Rutan out of what used to be the Rutan Aircraft Factory. ... VSS redirects here, VSS is the negative supply pin of a MOS IC. Virgin Galactic is a division of Richard Bransons Virgin Group, which plans to offer spaceflights to the paying public. ... Space tourism is the recent phenomenon of space travel by individuals for the purpose of personal pleasure. ... The Virgin Group is the group of companies using the Virgin brand of British celebrity business tycoon Sir Richard Branson. ... The X prize logo shows a stylised letter X representing a spacecraft trajectory and containing a starfield. ... Plain M&Ms M&Ms are small, milk chocolate candy pieces popular in the United States and in many other countries around the world. ... To sponsor something is to support an event, activity, person or organization by providing money or other resources in exchange for something, usually advertising or publicity, and always access to an audience. ... Flight 15P of SpaceShipOne was the first privately-funded human spaceflight. ... 7 Up (sometimes spelled Seven Up) is the brand name of a lemon-lime flavored soft drink marketed by Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc. ... Champ Car driven by Andrew Ranger in 2005 Champ Car, a shortened form of Championship Car, has been the name for a class of cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades. ...

Flight profile

The SpaceShipOne pilot was Mike Melvill. There were three chase planes. In human spaceflight, a pilot is someone who directly controls the operation of a spacecraft while located within the same craft. ... SpaceShipOne test pilot Mike Melvill Michael W. Melvill (born November 1941) is one of the test pilots for SpaceShipOne, the experimental spaceplane developed by Scaled Composites. ... A chase plane is an aircraft that chases a test aircraft. ...

All times are in PDT, which is seven hours behind UTC. This was the local civil time at the spaceport on the day of the flight. All measurements are first stated in the Imperial units in which they were originally reported, with conversions to SI units also given. Time Zone is also a historical computer game. ... UTC also stands for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Coordinated Universal Time or UTC, also sometimes referred to as Zulu time, the basis for civil time, differs by an integral number of seconds from atomic time and a fractional number of seconds from UT1. ... The Imperial units are an irregularly standardized system of units that have been used in the United Kingdom and its former colonies, including the Commonwealth countries. ... The International System of Units (abbreviated SI from the French phrase, Système International dUnités) is the most widely used system of units. ...

The flight was planned to take off from Mojave Spaceport in the early morning, when wind conditions are most favourable. Takeoff was scheduled for 06:47, but was delayed because of winds gusting to 50 mph (20 m/s), which subsided after sunrise. White Knight, carrying SpaceShipOne, taxied to the runway at 07:00, and took off at 07:11. Mojave Airport, storage location for commercial airliners. ... Ryanair Boeing 737 taking off Take off is the phase of flight where an aircraft transitions from moving along the ground (taxiing) into the air (see flight), usually from a runway. ... Miles per hour is a unit of speed, expressing the number of international miles covered per hour. ... Metre per second (U.S. spelling: meter per second) is an SI derived unit of both speed (scalar) and velocity (vector), defined by distance in metres divided by time in seconds. ... SpaceShipOne and White Knight during a captive carry test flight The Scaled Composites Model 318 White Knight is a jet-powered carrier aircraft used to launch the SpaceShipOne experimental spacecraft. ...

After takeoff, White Knight and SpaceShipOne ascended to the launch altitude, planned to be around 14 km. At 08:09 SpaceShipOne was released, glided for 6 s, then went into nose-up attitude and the rocket motor was ignited. The rocket motor was capable of burning for approximately 87 s, having been upgraded since the previous flight. It was planned to shut off the motor when the altitude reaches 345,000 feet (105 km), presumably to avoid pushing the envelope too far. A kilometre (American spelling: kilometer), symbol: km is a unit of length in the metric system equal to 1000 metres (from the Greek words χίλια (khilia) = thousand and μέτρο (metro) = count/measure). ... The second (symbol s) is a unit for time, and one of seven SI base units. ...

The spacecraft started rolling rapidly 50 s into the burn, while travelling at Mach 2.7. This was probably due to, or at least exacerbated by, pilot error. The pilot was not highly concerned by this, being confident that he could correct the situation, and he allowed the burn to continue during the roll. He later said "I thought it was kind of cool". The altitude was too high (and thus the atmosphere too thin) for the roll to cause significant aerodynamic stress, and it was correspondingly infeasible to damp the roll rate using the aerodynamic control surfaces. Flight dynamics is the study of orientation of air and space vehicles and how to control the critical flight parameters, typically named pitch, roll and yaw. ... Mach number (Ma) (pronounced as mack in International English or mock in the American English) is defined as a ratio of speed to the speed of sound in the medium in case. ... Pilot error is a term used to describe the cause of a crash of an airworthy aircraft where the pilot is considered to be principally or partially at fault. ... Cool has its roots in Middle English cole, from Old English col and indicates aloofness, composure and absence of excitement in a person, especially in times of stress. ... Aerodynamics is a branch of fluid dynamics concerned with the study of gas flows, first analysed by George Cayley in the 1800s. ...

When there was sufficient velocity to assure the achievement of the target altitude, as predicted by the navigational system, the ground controllers recommended that the pilot abort the burn. He promptly did so, 76 s into the burn, cutting it short by 11 s. After engine cutoff, the craft continued climbing while rolling. The pilot did not immediately work to damp the roll. Around apogee he took photographs of the Earth using a digital still camera.

The apogee altitude was estimated by the nearby Edwards Air Force Base, based on radar data, to be 337,569 feet (102.9 km). Due to the early burn cutoff, this was far less than originally anticipated. However, it was more than the 100 km necessary to qualify as a spaceflight and satisfy X Prize requirements. Early reports said that after the instruction from the ground the pilot had delayed the burn cutoff in order to exceed 100 km; in fact the instruction was issued just after the 100 km altitude was assured, and the pilot's reaction time accounts for the additional 2.9 km. This article is about several astronomical terms (apogee & perigee, aphelion & perihelion, generic equivalents based on apsis, and related but rarer terms. ... Edwards Air Force Base is a USAF airbase located on the border of Kern County and Los Angeles County, California in the Antelope Valley, 7 miles (11 km) due East of Rosamond, USA at 34°57′ N 117°52′ W. An airbase since 1933, Edwards has long been a home... This long range radar antenna (approximately 40m (130ft) in diameter) rotates on a track to observe activities near the horizon. ... For a reflex, reaction time is the time from the onset of a stimulus until the organism responds. ...

After apogee, the pilot feathered the wing for atmospheric reentry. He then damped out the roll, without difficulty, using the reaction jets. Overall, the craft did 29 complete rolls. Reentry proceeded normally, with the craft rapidly righting its attitude due to the stable high-drag configuration. It changed back to gliding configuration normally, glided back to the spaceport, and landed safely at 08:34. White Knight then landed at 08:39. Atmospheric entry is the transition from the vacuum of space to the atmosphere of any planet or other celestial body. ... Atmospheric entry is the transition from the vacuum of space to the atmosphere of any planet or other celestial body. ...

Spectacle

As with SpaceShipOne's previous flight, a crowd of thousands watched from Mojave Spaceport. Television coverage also occurred. SPACE.com provided live video from SpaceShipOne's cockpit. Flight 15P of SpaceShipOne was the first privately-funded human spaceflight. ... Mojave Airport, storage location for commercial airliners. ...

Distinguished attendees included:

• Sean O'Keefe, NASA Administrator
• Erik Lindbergh, grandson of the pioneering aviator Charles Lindbergh and a member of the X PRIZE Foundation board
• James Cameron, action film director
• John Landis, film director
• William Readdy, astronaut

At 06:09, shortly before planned takeoff, spectators were told to stay at the spaceport after the flight, to hear a "major announcement" about the future of the X PRIZE Foundation. As of October 4, 2004 it appears that no such announcement was actually made. Sean OKeefe (born January 27, 1956) was the 10th Administrator of NASA, leading the space agency from December 2001 to February 2005. ... NASA Logo Listen to this article · (info) This audio file was created from the revision dated 2005-09-01, and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. ... Erik Lindbergh (born 1965 or 1966) is an aviator, a promoter of space tourism and artist. ... Aviators are people who fly aircraft either for pleasure or for a job. ... Charles Lindbergh with the Spirit of St. ... The X PRIZE Foundation is the non-profit organization operating the Ansari X Prize, a $10 million competition designed to encourage private exploration of space. ... James Cameron from Ghosts of the Abyss James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian-born American film director noted for his action/science fiction films, which are often completed behind schedule and overbudget but compensate by being extremely successful financially. ... John Landis (born August 3, 1950) is a movie actor, director, writer, and producer. ... William F. Readdy is the Associate Administrator of the Office of Space Flight, in NASA Headquarters. ... The X PRIZE Foundation is the non-profit organization operating the Ansari X Prize, a $10 million competition designed to encourage private exploration of space. ... October 4 is the 277th day of the year (278th in Leap years). ... 2004(MMIV) is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Spectator reaction was more muted than for SpaceShipOne flight 15P, the first SpaceShipOne flight to have spectators, which was also the first privately-funded human spaceflight. Flight 15P of SpaceShipOne was the first privately-funded human spaceflight. ...

Later flights

To win the X Prize, a spacecraft must make two successful competitive flights within 14 days. With this flight on September 29, 2004 successful, a second spaceflight had to follow by October 13, 2004 in order to win. September 29 is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years). ... 2004(MMIV) is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 13 is the 286th day of the year (287th in leap years). ... 2004(MMIV) is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Scaled Composites scheduled the second competitive flight, flight 17P, for October 4, 2004, the 47th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik 1, and it was completed successfully on schedule. There was a possibility of a third competitive flight (18P) occurring by October 13, 2004 if either of the first two flights failed, but in the end this was not required. Flight 17P of SpaceShipOne was a spaceflight in the Tier One program that took place on October 4, 2004. ... October 4 is the 277th day of the year (278th in Leap years). ... 2004(MMIV) is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sputnik 1 (Russian Спутник-1, Fellow traveller 1) was the first artificial satellite to be put into orbit, on October 4, 1957. ... October 13 is the 286th day of the year (287th in leap years). ... 2004(MMIV) is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The da Vinci Project, another X Prize contender, planned to make its first competitive flight on October 2, 2004, but encountered problems and had to delay its flights. The da Vinci Project is a privately-funded, volunteer-staffed attempt to launch a reusable manned suborbital spacecraft. ... October 2 is the 275th day (276th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 90 days remaining. ... 2004(MMIV) is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Wired News: SpaceShipOne Back on Course
• Go for launch! X Prize Foundation announces teams ready to compete for $10 million
• Spaceflight Now contemporaneous report
• SPACE.com: Tense Moments During Trailblazing Private Space Flight
• SPACE.com: SpaceShipOne Was Not Out of Control, Builder and Pilot Say
• :: Discovery Channel CA :: (summary and video of the flight)
• BBC News: SpaceShipOne set to take X-Prize
• SPACE.com: SpaceShipOne Rolling Rumors: Rutan Sets the Record Straight
• Spaceflight Now: Rutan explains SpaceShipOne rolls
• Nuts & Volts Father/Son article pair - Perspective of an experienced engineer and someone who aspires to be an engineer.