Scaled Composites' SpaceShipOne program involves flight in a 3-place spaceship, initially attached to a turbojet launch aircraft [White Knight] while climbing for an hour to 50,000 feet, above 85% of the atmosphere. The spaceship then drops into gliding flight and fires its rocket motor while climbing steeply for more than a minute, reaching a speed of 2,500 mph.
The ship coasts up to 100 km (62 miles) altitude, then falls back into the atmosphere. The coast and fall are under weightless conditions for more than three minutes. During weightless flight, the spaceship converts to a high-drag configuration to allow a safe, stable atmospheric entry. After the entry deceleration which takes more than a minute, the ship converts back to a conventional glider, allowing a leisurely 17 minute glide from 80,000 feet altitude down to a runway where a landing is made at lightplane speeds.
The unique configuration allows aircraft-like qualities for boost, glide, and landing.The ship converts (pneumatic-actuated 'feather') to a stable, high-drag shape for atmospheric entry.
This 'Care-Free' configuration allows a 'handsoff' reentry and greatly reduces aero/thermal loads.
The concept design work began in 1996 and some preliminary development began in 1999. Full development program began in secrecy in April 2001. This extensive experimental research effort is a complete manned space program.
It consists of all new hardware including a launch aircraft (the White Knight), a three-place spaceship (the SpaceShipOne), a hybrid rocket propulsion system, a mobile propulsion test facility, a flight simulator, an inertial-nav flight director, a mobile mission control center, all spacecraft systems, a pilot training program and a complete flight test program. All hardware components are full-scale, full space-capable performance, not mockups or interim vehicles.
The firm was one of 24 companies from several countries competing for the $10 million X Prize, which SS1 has won.
The nonprofit X Prize Foundation is sponsoring the contest to promote the development of a low-cost, efficient craft for space tourism in the same way prize competitions stimulated commercial aviation in the early 20th century.
The prize is fully funded through January 1, 2005, according to the foundation's Web site.
White Knight' Features/capabilities:
- Carriage & launch of payloads up to 8,000 lb. Internal fuel capacity up to 6,400 lb.- Altitude capability above 53,000 feet.
- Large, three-place cabin (60" dia outside, 59" inside).
- Sea level cabin qualified for unlimited altitude.
- ECS scrubs CO2, removes humidity and defogs windows.
- Two crew doors with dual seals & dual-pane windows.
- Manual flight controls with three-axis electric trim.
- Avionics include INS-GPS nav, flight-director, flight test data (recording & T/M), air-data, vehicle healthmonitoring, backup flight instruments, & video system.
- Propulsion is two afterburning J-85-GE-5 engines.
- The 82-ft wing can be extended to 93-ft for increased climb capability.
- Super-effective, pneumatic speed-brakes allow steep descent with L/D < 4.5.
- Hydraulic wheel brakes and nose-gear steering.
- Low-maintenance, leak-proof, landing gear shock absorbers (pneumatic main gear retraction).
- Dual-bus electrical power system.
- Simple fuel system requires no in-flight fuel management.
- Cockpit allows single-pilot operation (VMC-day conditions only).
Mission Overview
The launch system proposed by Scaled Composites consists of two stages: a carrier aircraft, the White Knight, and a second stage rocket, SpaceShipOne (SS1).
The duration of the White Knight-SS1 mission lasts approximately 90 minutes. Before the horizontal take-off from a traditional runway, SS1 is mounted to the underside of the White Knight and the nose cone is detached so the three crew members can enter SS1. The nose is reattached and the mated vehicles are ready to begin their mission.
White Knight is a manned, twin-turbojet research aircraft intended for high-altitude missions. The design mission of White Knight is to provide a high-altitude airborne launch of a manned suborbital spacecraft, SS1. The White Knight is equipped to flight-qualify all the spacecraft systems, except rocket propulsion. The White Knight's cockpit, avionics, electronic control system, pneumatics, trim servos, data system, and electrical system components are identical to those installed on SS1. The White Knight's high thrust-to-weight ratio and enormous speed-brakes allow the Astronauts in training to practice space flight maneuvers like boost, approach and landing, with a very realistic environment. Thus, the aircraft serves as a high-fidelity, moving-base simulator for SS1 pilot training.
The White Knight horizontally takes off from an airport runway like a traditional airplane. The aircraft slowly ascend to approximately 53,000 feet over a time period of approximately 60 minutes. It's first flight was on August 1, 2002.
Milestones
- SpaceShipOne's first powered mission took place on December 17, 2003 it reached an altitude of 67,800 feet, with the hybrid motor firing for 15 seconds.
- A second powered flight occurred on April 8th 2004. In that trek, the motor burned for 40 seconds, and reached an altitude of 105,000 ft.
- On April 1 2004, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced it had issued to Scaled Composites the world's first license for a sub-orbital manned rocket flight.
- May 13th, 2004, SpaceShipOne sets altitude record; 40 miles/ 212,000 feet.
- On June 21, 2004 Mike Melvill became the first civilian to pilot a craft into space!!
- Sept 29th, 2004: SpaceShipOne Succeeds First Shot at $10 Million X Prize
- SpaceShipOne Wins $10 Million Ansari X Prize in Historic 2nd Trip to Space
Images
Scaled Composites Image GalleryRead the full article...
Jul. 18th, 2006 | Virgin Galactic on track to begin space flights
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Jun. 26th, 2006 | SpaceShipOne plus two
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May. 11th, 2006 | The era of private spaceflight is about to dawn
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May. 10th, 2006 | Legislators push for loan to support space tourism
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- Branson Wants Swedish Spaceport
- Lawmakers support spaceport for Mojave
- Space tourism rockets
- New fleet of private spaceships announced
- Mineta: Space Tourism May Come in 2008
- FAA: Security checks for space tourists
- Virgin Galactic to build $225 million spaceport in New Mexico
- Branson Eyes New Mexico For Public Space Travel Departure Point
- Virgin Atlantic to offer frequent flyers tickets to space
- Burt Rutan: Building The People's Spaceship
- SpaceShipOne donated to Smithsonian
- Private Company Plans $100 Million Tour Around the Moon
- Engineering simple solutions to complex problems
- Richard Branson and Burt Rutan Form Spacecraft Building Company
- White Knight Prepares For New Mission
- Virgin Galactic and the Future of Commercial Spaceflight
- Burt Rutan Chides NASA for Dullness, Says Space should be Fun
- TSR: Is 2004 the breakout year for space entrepreneurship?
- Rules Set for $50 Million 'America’s Space Prize'
- Private spaceship team picks up $10 million
Sources & Recommended Websites:
- Scaled.com
- Private spaceship sets altitude record
- Space.com Article
- Xprize.org
- SpaceShipOne Makes History with First Manned Private Spaceflight
This page was last updated on: 2006-02-01
