Monday 11 August 2003

X Prize attempt gets closer as SpaceShipOne completes first glide test Scaled Composites is favourite to win the X-Prize with its combination craft SpaceShipOne and White Knight. White Knight is to carry SS1 to a sufficiently high altitude where the two separte and SS1 continues into Space. In a milestone test last week SpaceShipOne (SS1) completed its first unpowered free flight after being carried aloft attached underneath White Knight and released at 14,300 meters and a speed of 195 kmph. According to a report on Scaled's web site, SS1 glided for 19 minutes, testing the vehicle's performance over 60% of the planned subsonic flight envelope, before making a runway landing at Mojave Airport in California. The vehicle's performance compared well to simulator tests. [spacetoday.net] 11:54:31 PM    comment []  Google It!

ISS wedding takes place International Space Station cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko married his earthbound bride in a unique ceremony on the station and Earth on Sunday. The marriage between Malenchenko and Ekaterina Dmitriev took place Sunday using a video link between the station and the Gilruth Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. The wedding was announced last month, taking advantage of a provision in Texas law that allows marriages even if the bride or groom is not present. Russian government officials had made an effort to block the wedding, but dropped their opposition last week. However, officials said they will likely require future ISS cosmonauts to agree not to participate in wedding ceremonies while in orbit. The wedding was a private event, although Dmitriev later spoke with reporters at the wedding reception. [spacetoday.net] 11:42:44 PM    comment []  Google It!

I heart spammers. Wil Wheaton - formerly known as the child actor who played Wesley Crusher - is having problems thanks to spammers. 11:27:51 PM    comment []  Google It!

© Copyright 2003 David Stewart. Last update: 01/09/2003; 11:23:17.