Sun, Jun 21, 2009
Aero-News: Quote of the Day
ANN's Quote of the Day usually
derives from current news, though we reserve the right to pick
quotes out of history that have a bearing on the day's events and
issues.
Sometimes, you'll find them timely and in keeping with the
content of the day's news... and sometimes, they'll just be
thought-provoking.
Reader suggestions and comments are welcome... and if
particularly intriguing, timely, or poignant, may themselves
become future Quotes of the Day.
Let us hear from you, folks!
Aero-News Quote of the Day
"Cheered down the runway by onlookers, the White Knight
turbojet launch aircraft took off at 647 a.m. PST, carrying
SpaceShipOne under its fuselage to an altitude of 47,000 feet. At
750 a.m. PST, flight engineer Matt Stinemetz released the spaceship
and test pilot Mike Melville immediately fired the hybrid rocket
motor. The rocket burn lasted for 76 seconds rocketing the vehicle
to more than 2.9 Mach or 2150 miles an hour. At motor burn out,
SpaceShipOne was at 180,000 feet and from there coasted the rest of
the way into space reaching an apogee of 328,491 feet. Melvill
experienced weightlessness for approximately 3 minutes as the
vehicle slowly decelerated to apogee and then yielding to the pull
of gravity commenced its historic return to earth in the craft's
unique entry or feathered configuration. During the descent the
pilot experienced forces greater than 5.0 G's as the vehicle
accelerated again to 2.9 Mach. Melvill reconfigured the vehicle
back to a glider at 57,000 feet and over the next 20 minutes
enjoyed a leisurely descent to a graceful landing at Mojave, the
Nation's first inland Space Port."
Source: From the June 21st, 2004 Mission
Summary of the First Sub-Orbital Flight of SpaceShipOne -- five
years ago today.
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