SpaceShipOne provides glimpse of our future

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Jun 28, 2004

THE entry of Burt Rutan's SpaceShipOne, a private venture, onto the frontiers of space exploration raises all kinds of possibilities for the future of private-public partnerships.

Last Monday, test pilot Mike Melvill landed at Mojave Airport, about 80 miles north of Los Angeles, after taking the rocket plane SpaceShipOne to an altitude of slightly more than 62.5 miles -- the boundary of space. It may be the much needed shot in the arm for the future of such out-of-world ventures.

SpaceShipOne lifted off in the Mojave Desert, carried by the jet White Knight. As the jet approached 50,000 feet, SpaceShipOne broke away into a brief glide. Melvill then ignited the spacecraft's engines and took off into the heavens at Mach 3, three times the speed of sound.

The spacecraft returned safely, but control problems forced Melvill to cut it short and use a backup system to guide his landing. The Federal Aviation Administration awarded the 63-year-old the nation's first commercial astronaut's wings.

The flight marks the beginning of Burt Rutan's quest to complete his vision of affordable, private space travel. His company, Scaled Composites, built SpaceShipOne with economic backing from Microsoft Corp. co-founder Paul Allen, for a little more than $20 million. To Rutan, the flight, which went from a concept in 1995 to reality, was the realization of a dream.

Whether SpaceShipOne wins the $10 million Ansari X prize for the first privately financed three-seat spacecraft to leave Earth's atmosphere twice in two weeks, its maiden voyage marks a new era in space exploration.

We hope it becomes a cooperative venture in which NASA provides incentives (economic as well as technical) for new developments and shares its expertise with private developers seeking to explore and develop outer space.

It's going to be expensive. Whether people will eventually pay large sums to travel or vacation in space remains to be seen, but there's probably a market among the wealthy. And, what are the commercial possibilities?

As is often the case with new enterprises, its beginning raises as many questions as it answers. But it is time for a new phase for space exploration, and this appears to be it.

Perhaps it will breathe new life into space exploration -- and NASA, which will continue its unmanned explorations and is to develop new spacecraft. President Bush wants man to return to the moon and resume manned flights. Will they be public, private or a marriage of both?

The last option holds the most promise.