December 17, 2003 - In a nod to those who've gone before in this grand adventure of flight, Burt Rutan of Scaled Composites chose today for the first vertical firing of SpaceShipOne's engine. With pilot Brian Binney at the controls, the spacecraft was released from the White Knight at 48,000 feet, and a series of checks were performed, with the engine firing at 44,000 feet. After a 15 second burn, Brian topped out at 68,000! (I've actually heard some variation in the altitudes...from 44K to 51K for the launch, but the most recent was the 48/44K figure). That, folks, is some serious speed. Scaled is hailing this as a significant achievement...first supersonic flight by a craft built by a small private firm. From the tower at Mojave, we saw a nice orange flame and a long trail of white smoke...and there was lots of cheering.

Sorry folks, my 280mm lens just can't handle these extreme altitudes. Just before the drop, Brian reported that his cabin altitude was 5,000 feet. Shirtsleeve environment was one of the things Burt was desiring. When asked by White Knight what his temperature was, though, Brian was heard to say "COLD!"

The cheering turned to gasps, though, as SpaceShipOne made its final approach to landing on Rwy 30. The normally steep approach seemed really steep, and when he touched down, the left main gear collapsed and SS1 veered off into the dirt. The great news, however, is that pilot Brian Binney is fine, and walked away unhurt (Brian, since I know you stop in and read the WebLog occasionally, let me just say...great job, don't be discouraged. We're all behind you and the whole Scaled team 110%. It was better than flying the Roton, wasn't it?).

The vehicle turned out surprisingly well, too. There was a bit of skin damage where the gear hit the fuselage, and the bottom of the left vertical was ground down, but one team member was heard to say that they'd likely have the SS1 back up in a month or less. Both the fact that Brian isn't hurt and that the ship has minimal damage says a lot about the robustness of the design and the quality of construction that the Scaled team has accomplished. Way to go, guys! Can't wait to see the next flight!

Our hearts missed a beat or two. Mojave's Fire/Rescue folks are really top notch...a big hat off to them for how they handled this....

Just a bit dirty is all....

A big thanks to Tim for putting up with us all in the tower cab, and to Rick and the fire crew for the early-morning coffee. To Burt and Company, a hearty congrats, and again to Brian, great job!