| The SpaceShipOne was designed by Burt Rutan, an | | | | Upon re-entry, the pilot reconfigures the ship back to |
| aviation legend. His research team at the Scaled | | | | its original glider, and then spends 15 to 20 minutes |
| Composites aerospace company built it and it was | | | | gliding back to earth, touching down like a plane on |
| Paul G. Allen who funded it. | | | | the same runway from which he took away. |
| Mike Melvill piloted the Spaceship One to an altitude | | | | On 27 July 2004, Burt Rutan, chief of the Mojave, |
| of 100 kilometers (62 miles). The Spaceship One has | | | | California-based Scaled Composites gave a 60 day |
| reached a record breaking elevation of 328,491 feet | | | | notice that SpaceShip One will be making an effort to |
| under the control of examination pilot Mike Melvill. | | | | acquire the Ansari X-Prize contest on September 29 |
| Making Melvill the best civil to fly a spaceship out of | | | | from the Mojave Spaceport. This first flight to |
| the atmosphere and the first private pilot to gain | | | | attempt to win the X-Prize competition was piloted |
| astronaut wings. | | | | by Mike Melvil and was successful. The |
| The Spaceship One has reached space through the | | | | accomplishment was repeated no later than October |
| support of a carrier aircraft, the White Knight. The | | | | 13. |
| aircraft lifts Spaceship One from the runway. Then | | | | A perfect desktop display and gift for your love |
| after an hour of climbing to roughly 50,000 feet | | | | ones and friends and indeed a great collection to |
| elevation, the White Knight releases the spaceship | | | | make! This is what Aviation Modelworks offers you. |
| into a glide. The spaceship pilot fires his rocket | | | | The Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne wood model is |
| machine for about 80 seconds, reaching Mach 3 in a | | | | just one of the many spacecraft replica models that |
| vertical rise. During the pull-up and rise, the pilot | | | | we offer. The Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne |
| encounters G-forces three to four times the | | | | model spacecraft is fully handcrafted and made of |
| seriousness of the ground. | | | | the finest mahogany wood. Colors and other designs |
| SpaceShip One coasts up to its final altitude of 100 | | | | of the original model were cautiously painted on the |
| kilometer before falling back to earth. The pilot | | | | Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne replica. It passes |
| configures the craft's wing and tail into high-drag | | | | through several stages of priming and sanding. And |
| settings. This provides a "care-free" atmospheric | | | | for the Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne model |
| entrance by slowing the spaceship in the upper air | | | | spacecraft's protection and glossy finish, it is coated |
| and automatically aligning it along the flying route. | | | | with a clear lacquer. |