Page 23 - Aerospace Valley Heritage - Aerotech News and Review, October 15, 2021

MOJAVE, from 22
B-52 bomber in 1962. This fragile aircraft with award that specifies end-to-end delivery of the
a wingspan of 110-feet had an empty weight payloads, as well as their integration with the
of only 939-pounds. The gross weight on take- company’s XL-1 lander. They’re also required
off from Edwards AFB, Dec. 14, 1986, was to land on the Moon and operate for at least 12
9,694.5-pounds. days post-landing. The specific instruments that
The milestone flight took nine-days, three- XL-1 will carry include tools for measuring and
minutes and 44-seconds. The absolute world mapping the lunar surface temperature, as well
distance records set during that flight remain as radiation, and the presence of hydrogen and
unchallenged today. other gases that could indicate the presence of
I have had the pleasure of hearing the water.
poignant Voyager story told by Dick Rutan on The XL-1 lander developed by Masten is
many occasions and each time I hear something an evolution of lander designs that won the
new. Dick likes to remind people, “If you can NASA Centennial Northrop Grumman Lunar
dream it, you can do it!” Lander X-Prize Challenge in 2009. Masten has
The cramped cockpit environment was most also developed and flown a number of vertical
uncomfortable and sleep deprivation was the takeoff, vertical landing (VTVL) rockets on
enemy. Imagine being locked in a phone booth behalf of NASA, including the Xaero test
for nine days while flying at speeds of only vehicle.
80-knots, navigating around thunderstorms,
near hostile countries threatening to shoot you New leadership at MASP
down, worrying about whether or not you have Mojave Air and Space Port recently welcomed
enough fuel for the trip, running on one engine Todd Lindner, the new chief executive officer/
to conserve fuel and on the last leg of the flight general manager. He is the former director of
suffering rear engine failure due to an air pocket the Jacksonville, Fla., Aviation Authority’s Cecil
in a fuel line. As the crew lost 5,000 feet of Spaceport, and was selected by members of the
altitude, all the while attempting to start the front Mojave Air and Space Port board of directors
engine, they could see the ocean coming up to Courtesy photograph from more than 100 applications. He replaces
meet them, but then the front engine roared to SpaceShipOne in flight at the Mojave Air and Space Port. Karina Drees, who was recently appointed
life, and saved these brave intrepid souls! president of the Commercial Spaceflight
My husband, Al and I were there, with Federation in Washington, D.C.
thousands of other people to witness the landing Allen’s SpaceShipOne. and is presently building another White Knight Lindner graduated from Middle Tennessee
of Voyager. The Voyager story is one of great Richard Branson entered into the commercial and SpaceShip in their Mojave facility. The State University in 1986 with a Bachelor of
emotion, courage, vision and adventure and is space business when he helped fund the last commercial flight operations have moved to Science Degree in Aerospace Technology
often referred to as “aviation’s last first.” X-Prize flight in 2004 and began planning the New Mexico, but the production line is still and 1998 with a Master’s of Science Degree
Burt Rutan established Scaled Composites next steps into the commercial space industry. located at Mojave Air and Space Port. in Aviation Management and Airline
in 1982 and is now best known for the first Branson formed Virgin Galactic and The Space companies abound at the Space Port Administration.
privately funded manned space flight, with Mike Spaceship Company and created SpaceShipTwo and include Masten Space Systems. They were From 1989 to 2004, he served as a corporate
Melvill and Brian Binnie, winning the Ansari and a new mother ship White Knight Two. selected by NASA to deliver cargo to the moon pilot operating business jets and turboprop
$10-million X-Prize on Oct. 4, 2004, with Paul The Spaceship Company employs 400 people in 2022. Masten’s contract is a $75.9 million See MOJAVE, Page 24

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