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Private Space Craft Heralds New Era

Posted on: Tuesday, 22 June 2004, 06:00 CDT

Space tourism came a step closer yesterday when a private commercial rocket flew into the near reaches of space for the first time.

The privately-funded SpaceShipOne craft made aviation history when it flew more than 62 miles above the surface of the Earth.

It also brought the design team, led by aviation pioneer Burt Rutan, closer to a pounds 5.5m prize set up to encourage commercial space travel in the future.

The craft piloted by Mike Melvill, 62, took off from the Mojave desert in California at 2.47pm, 17 minutes behind schedule.

A rocket called White Knight carried SpaceShipOne high into the air before the two craft separated and SpaceShipOne's jets boosted it beyond the Earth's atmosphere.

The two craft returned to Earth an hour and 28 minutes later, making a safe touchdown in the desert in California at 4.15pm.

Thousands of people gathered in the desert to watch history being made.

Mr Rutan, who has been granted the first licence to launch a manned sub-orbital rocket, predicted recently that affordable space travel would be available within 10 years.

Speaking shortly after the touchdown, Mr Melvill described the view. 'The colours were pretty staggering from up there. It's almost a religious experience. It's an awesome thing to see, you can see the curvature of the Earth.'

'You have got a hell of a view from 62 miles.'

Mr Melvill described being bounced about in his seat as the aircraft approached supersonic speed. The craft became steadier as he went supersonic, he said.

'You can hear this incredible rushing sound, like some hurricane coming by. The thing just has a high-frequency roar to it that's very, very intimidating.'

Mr Melvill experienced weightlessness for about three minutes when he was beyond the Earth's atmosphere.

Mr Rutan, who designed the craft, described the moment that the record was broken.

'Up there in mission control there were three of four times during the flight... you saw these people extremely emotional.

'I am absolutely delighted that we have been able to make a manned space flight and it still looks like that [the configuration and design he laid out in 1999].

'Because we did take a lot of risks.'

He added, 'It's the first time that a winged vehicle can have a care-free re-entry, and that is an enormous thing for safety.'

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