First private-sector space program

Flight Journal, Aug 2003 by Marks, Bob

HOT OFF THE WIRE FROM THE WORLD OF FLIGHT

On a windswept mid-April day at his Scaled Composites facility in Mojave, California, aviation designer Burt Rutan allowed the world a glimpse of the vehicle that makes him the odds-on favorite in the race to develop the first privately funded space program. In front of an invited crowd of approximately 450 aerospace VIPs, members of the media and employees, Rutan temporarily lifted the curtain of secrecy that has surrounded the SpaceShipOne (SS1) program for two and a half years.

SS1 reflects a systematic approach to the thorny problems associated with space flight. It consists of a delta-wing spacecraft and a twin-boom twin turbojet aircraft called "White Knight"; there are also simulators, test stands and all the required ground-support equipment. With a cockpit that's nearly identical to SS1's, the White Knight serves as much more than its "first stage." The "space plane" has not yet been flown, but its systems, avionics and flight profile have already been tested and honed aboard the White Knight. Its final flight profile calls for White Knight to carry SS1 to 50,000 feet and then release it. After that, the spacecraft's pilot will activate the hybrid rocket motor that will thrust the ship to a peak altitude of more than 100 kilometers. To slow the small spacecraft during reentry, the rear half of the wings and booms will fold upward spanwise to present a high-drag profile that Rutan predicts will ensure a "carefree reentry." At around 85,000 feet, the wings will be "unfeathered" and retracted for a conventional runway landing.

Following its April 18 debut, the program is again under wraps. Rutan's main economic goal is to prove the viability of commercial manned space flight, but his primary goal is to inspire others to work toward realizing their dreams. "We can't afford to bore our kids," he says.