SpaceShipOne flight 11P
| Operator | Mojave Airport |
|---|---|
| Landing date | December 17, 2003 |
| Landing site | Mojave Airport |
Flight 11P of
The date of the test flight was 100 years to the day since the
pilot was Brian Binnie.[2]
Details
PDT at an altitude of 47,900 feet (14.6 km) and a speed of 112 knots (58 m/s), SpaceShipOne was released from White Knight. After gliding to 44,400 feet (13.5 km) and accelerating to Mach 0.55, the rocket was lit for a 15 second
burn.
9 seconds into the burn, SpaceShipOne exceeded the speed of sound. The craft climbed at a 70 degree angle, accelerating at 3
apogee
altitude of 67,800 feet (20.7 km).
The craft was reconfigured into high-drag ("feathered") mode to begin descent. After about a minute of descent, it switched to glider configuration at 35,000 feet (10.7 km). It then glided for 12 minutes back to
Mojave Airport
.
During landing a roll oscillation caused the left main gear to collapse. The craft made a runway excursion rolling to a stop in soft sand. The craft sustained minor damage, later repaired, and the pilot was uninjured.[1][citation needed]
References
- ^ a b Skeen, Jim (19 December 2003). "Spacecraft built on the quiet goes supersonic on its first solo flight". The Sydney Morning Herald. Mojave, CA: Fairfax Media. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-06-114903-0.
External links
- Scaled Composites' public flight log Archived 2016-09-16 at the Wayback Machine
- X Prize page about Scaled Composites Archived 2004-06-24 at the Wayback Machine
- SpaceShipOne breaks the sound barrier Archived 2016-09-11 at the Wayback Machine — press release from Scaled Composites