Turns out there were more
gremlins aboard SpaceShipOne than just that one "bang." The controls started acting up, and pilot Mike Melvill had to deal with a hypersonic craft that rolled 90 degrees to the left, then to the right. Yikes! One of my questions has been answered, however: The control problems forced Melvill to cut short the craft's planned climb. Although SpaceShipOne did enter space at 62-plus miles up, the original goal was to reach 68 miles--breaking the old altitude record of 67 miles set by our friend the X-15. Since I keep referencing the older space plane, here's a side-by-side comparison of the two:
I'm all the more impressed by this accomplishment because of the potentially deadly obstacles Melvill had to overcome to reach that magical barrier 62 miles up. Let's hope the ship's problems can be corrected quickly so Scaled Composites can keep 'em flying.
Now Playing: Various Classical Relaxation vol. 9
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