Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to X-Prize

SpaceShipOne was damaged on that December flight

That was the first powered flight* and it went well until landing. The pilot hit the runway pretty hard and the left main landing gear collapsed. It didn't look like it was too heavily damaged, so it has probably been repaired by now. When they're ready to tell us more, they'll let us know. Burt knows how to keep his mouth shut when he wants to.

*For its first powered flight, SpaceShipOne only carried enough propellants for a 15 second burn. It was released at about 50,000 feet and the engine was ignited a few seconds later. It quickly accelerated to Mach 1.2 while in a 60 degree climb. The combination of a reduced propellant load and full thrust meant SpaceShipOne accelerated like the proverbial bat out of hell.

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