Page 8 - Aerotech News and Review, October 2, 2020

Melvill, Binnie became civilian astronauts 16 years ago

SpaceShipOne won the $10 million Ansari X-Prize on Oct. 4, 2004

by Cathy Hansen ingenuity to roll up your sleeves, get a
special to Aerotech News band of people who believe in some-
thing and go for it and make it happen.
On Oct. 4, 2020, we will celebrate It doesn’t happen anywhere else.”
another milestone anniversary at the “Here in Mojave, the irrepressible
Mojave Air and Space Port. nature of the American spirit shines
Sixteen years ago on the cool morn- brightly. Our agenda may not be as
ing of Oct. 4, 2004, Brian Binnie flew fundamental as life, death and war but
high over Mojave at the controls of we are very much involved in our ver-
SpaceShipOne for the second Ansari sion of liberty and the pursuit of hap-
X Prize flight. He soared to a record piness,” he said.
height of 367,442 feet (112 kilome- “I can think of few activities as liber-
ters/69 miles), exceeding Mach 3 to ating or rewarding as flying,” explained
clinch the $10 million and to become Binnie. “And our more recent exten-
the first Scotsman to reach space. That sion of this pursuit to rockets, space
epic flight broke the rocket plane alti- ships and suborbital flight has put little
tude record set in 1963 by the North old Mojave, front and center on the
American X-15. global map of pioneers. It has been
On Sept. 29, 2004, at 8:13 a.m., the freedom that Mojave has afforded
SpaceShipOne, with pilot Mike Mel- those that came here to tinker, test, try
vill, coasted above the 100-kilometer and fail that has made it so special.
altitude point and successfully com- Yankee ingenuity, unfettered by rules,
pleted the first of two X-Prize flights. regulations and red tape; it’s a winning
The peak altitude reached was 337,500 combination every time it’s tried.”
feet. The motor was shut down when Tonya Rutan, Burt’s wife, knew the
Melvill noted that his altitude predictor flights of SpaceShipOne would bring
exceeded the required 100-kilometer people from all over the world to Mo-
mark. The motor burn lasted 77 sec- jave.
onds — one second longer than on the She and a group of various volun- Mojave Aerospace Ventures photograph by David M. Moore
June 21 flight. teers from non-profit groups in and Lifted to its launch altitude of about 47,000 feet, SpaceShipOne then dropped free of White Knight and ignited its
The first exciting flight into space around Mojave formed a coalition of hybrid rocket engine.
was flown by Melvill when he soared those groups, mostly those that benefit-
into the black sky on June 21, 2004. ted youth groups and chose a unique
Mike Melvill piloted SpaceShi- name for their organization — Rock- Binnie recently completed the book
pOne to an altitude of 328,491 feet (62 etBoosters. She was dedicated and per- about SpaceShipOne—that marvelous
program, under the helm of Burt Rutan,
miles), making him the first civilian to
fly a spaceship out of the atmosphere sistent to gain permission to sell mer- from 2001—2004. It is colorful and
and the first private pilot to earn com- chandise bearing the trademark Space- humorous, with an entirely different
mercial astronaut wings from the Fed- ShipOne logo, in cooperation with perspective from anything previously
eral Aviation Administration. Mojave Aerospace Ventures, a Paul written.
Nearly 30,000 people came to Mo- G. Allen company. Once that hurdle If you are curious, please check
jave to witness these milestone flights was accomplished, the Mojave Rock- out https://brianbinnie.net/. At the
that were accomplished by private etBoosters raised nearly $250,000 over website, you will find an outline of
civilian funding and a small group of the year, during the SS1 rocket flights the book, a few chapters to read and
brilliant aerospace engineers headed by and competition flights for the Ansari reviews, and instructions for ordering.
Burt Rutan at Scaled Composites. X-Prize. Posters, post cards, pins, hats, The book is self-published. On the
After completing the second record- patches and shirts were made for sale. website, Binnie writes, “I enjoyed the
breaking SS1 flight, during a ceremony We have the opportunity to relive unique perspective of being Burt’s
marking the occasion, Binnie said, “I Courtesy photograph some of these historic flights from program manager, his rocket motor
wake up every morning and thank God Brian Binnie’s book – The Magic and Brian Binnie’s point of view in his test director, and one of his test pilots.
I live in a country where all of this is Menace of SpaceShipOne. new book — The Magic and Menace Coupled with the additional insights
possible. Where you have the Yankee of SpaceShipOne. provided by also being Burt’s long- Courtesy photograph
time golf partner, I offer an entirely Tonya Rutan, Burt Rutan’s wife,
unique viewpoint, with details not pre- organized RocketBoosters.
viously addressed, as suggested by the
book’s title.”

Courtesy photograph
Courtesy photograph Courtesy photograph The second commercial astronaut, Brian Binnie (left), is shown with Paul G.
Brian Binnie flew SpaceShipOne for Mike Melvill earned his commercial astronaut wings for his flight in Allen (center), and the designer of White Knight One and SpaceShipOne,
the second Ansari X Prize flight. SpaceShipOne. Melvill flew the spacecraft to an altitude of 62 miles. Burt Rutan.

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