SpaceShipOne
An Illustrated History
Published on 13. June 2011
160 pages
978-1-61673-230-1 (ISBN)
Description
"One of the most remarkable accomplishments in our conquest of gravity." - Sir Arthur C. Clarke In April, 2003, a company called Scaled Composites introduced SpaceShipOne to the world. SpaceShipOne: An Illustrated History chronicles the development of the world's first commercial manned space program-aprogram that includes an airborne launcher (the White Knight), a space ship (SpaceShipOne), rocket propulsion, avionics, simulator, and full ground support. With ample illustrations, photographs, and behind-the-scenes information, SpaceShipOne provides a full picture of this classified project. The story of SpaceShipOne combines the adventurous spirit of Charles Lindbergh, the entrepreneurial drive of Howard Hughes, and the urgency of the space race at the height of the Cold War.
Reviews / Votes
"The book is filled with hundreds of rare photos, charts, and details that I have not seen in a single source before and includes numerous comments taken from interviews with all the key players. It is a remarkable book that covers this achievement in remarkable detail and should be considered a primary reference for anyone doing research on commercial space. Dan Linehan should be commended for an amazing program summary, the likes of which belongs in any library focused on commercial spaceflight. When students and historian look back at this program, this is the book, the one book, they need to refer to." - Quest: The History of Spaceflight newsletterMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc
Illustrations
283 color photos, 12 diagrams
File size
24,41 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-61673-230-1 (9781616732301)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
06/2011
Zenith Press
€24.00
Article exhausted; check different version
Persons
In 2004, Dan Linehan attended the launch of SpaceShipOne when it captured the Ansari X Prize. A senior science editor for educational publishing companies, he has a background in physics and engineering, and has written numerous articles about aviation and space. Linehan was the editor and principle feature writer for the California International Airshow's event program from 2003 to 2005. During 2006 and 2007, he spent two months studying wildlife and environmental concerns in Antarctica and its surrounds. Dan lives in Monterey, California.
Content
- Intro
- Cover
- Title Page
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Foreword
- Chapter 1: A Secret Space Program
- Burt Rutan
- Homebuilts and the Step toward Space
- Early Spaceship Designs
- Paul Allen
- Tier One
- Chapter 2: The Ansari X Prize Blasts Off
- Peter Diamandis
- 1927: New York to Paris
- The X Factor
- Rules of the Game
- The Lindbergh Legacy
- The Cash Prize
- Anousheh Ansari
- Gathering Momentum
- Threads of Rocketry
- Chapter 3: Flying the Spaceflight Mission
- Liftoff to Separation
- Boost and Apogee
- Apogee to Atmosphere
- Gliding to Mojave
- Between Spaceflights
- X-15 Comparison
- Chapter 4: SpaceShipOne Construction
- Overall Dimensions
- Fuselage and Composite Structures
- Crew Compartment
- Wings
- Tail Booms
- The Feather
- Landing Gear
- Doors and Windows
- Thermal and Radiation Protection
- Air and Electrical Power
- Chapter 5: SpaceShipOne Rocket-Engine Design
- The Rocket Engine
- Propellants
- Construction
- Rocket-Engine Competition
- Rocket-Engine Operation
- Chapter 6: SpaceShipOne Instruments and Controls
- Subsonic Flight Control
- Supersonic Flight Control
- Reaction Control System
- Tier One Navigation Unit
- Energy Altitude Predictor
- Cockpit Instrumentation
- Chapter 7: Test Flights Begin
- First Flight Test (1C)
- SpaceShipOne Now Manned (2C)
- Going it Alone (3G)
- Flight Aborted (4GC)
- Feather Up (5G)
- Departure from Controlled Flight (6G)
- Back on Track (7G)
- A New Pilot Behind the Stick (8G)
- Abort Contingencies (9G)
- Ready for Rocket Power (10G)
- Chapter 8: Rockets Ignite
- Breaking the Sound Barrier (11P)
- Unplugged (12G)
- A Third of the Way There (13P)
- Feather at Supersonic (14P)
- First Commercial Astronaut (15P)
- Chapter 9: Capturing the Ansari X Prize
- X1: The First Ansari X Prize Flight (16P)
- Turnaround Time
- X2: Winning the Ansari X Prize (17P)
- Chapter 10: Science Fiction to Science Fact
- Beyond the Ansari X Prize
- SpaceShipTwo and SpaceShipThree
- Two Last Flights for SpaceShipOne
- Appendices
- A: SpaceShipOne Flight Data
- B: Chase Plane Crews
- Selected Bibliography
- Index
- Copyright Page
