09-29-04

According to CNN, SpaceShipOne, succeeded in meeting the altitude requirements for the first leg of the X-Prize. Instead of the required 62, the spaceship went 73 miles above the earth.

While the spaceship did dozens of barrel rolls on its ascent, it easily reached the required 62 miles and astronaut Mike Melvill didn't make much of the rolls. More interesting, possibly, is the fact that Melvill shut the engine off 11 seconds early, indicating the ship has far higher altitude capabilities.

White Knight, SpaceShipOne's carrier plane, and SpaceShipOne minutes before the historic flight in the Mojave Desert.
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