Yahoo! News - SpaceShipOne Data Shows Vessel Took a 'Trajectory Excursion'

Yahoo! News - SpaceShipOne Data Shows Vessel Took a 'Trajectory Excursion':

Article points out that there were some relatively serious problems, most importantly, a flight-critical system, with Monday's historic space flight. The primary pitch trim control was lost, forcing a redunancy system to be activated, alleviating the problem.

We'll wait to hear whether the X-Prize is next, but it seems like another test will probably come first. A 60 Day notice is required before attempting the first lef of the X-Prize.

Quotable

"Our success proves without question that manned space flight does not require mammoth government expenditures, it can be done by a small company operating with limited resources and a few dozen dedicated employees."

Burt Rutan, Scaled Composites


"Burt Rutan and his team at Scaled Composites are part of a new generation of explorers who are sparking the imagination of a huge number of people worldwide and ushering in the birth of a new industry of privately funded manned space flight."

Paul Allen, Microsoft, Sole Sponser SpaceShipOne