America Lost An Astronaut Monday... Even As It Gained
Another
NASA tells ANN that Gordon Cooper Jr., the astronaut who piloted
the sixth and last flight of the Mercury program and later
commanded Gemini 5, died early Monday at his home in Ventura,
Calif. He was 77 years old.
X-Prize Staff were astounded and delighted by two unexpected
events. The first: Google, the popular search service, featured
SpaceShipOne on their website's sole graphic. Google often uses the
graphic to make a gentle commentary on current events. The graphic
is named xprize.gif and if you mouse over it on the google.com
website, it displays the alt-text message "Congratulations
SpaceShipOne."
When Burt Rutan's SpaceShipOne launches on Monday in its final
bid for the Ansari X-Prize, it will do so less than a week after
observers and even Rutan himself held their breath -- they thought
the spacecraft and pilot Mike Melvill were in serious trouble
Wednesday when it began rolling uncontrollably during its ascent.
Now, after Melvill's mea culpa (he said he "must have hit the
rudder pedal" during the boost phase, causing the spacecraft to
roll almost 30 times), an inspection of the vehicle indicates all
is well, according to Rutan. Monday's attempt is a "go."
Da Vinci Project Leader Explains Differences Between Tests And
True Launch
(This exchange appears on the Ansari X-Prize message
board...)
Dear Da Vinci Project Staff,
I’ve been a fan of your X-Prize project team for years, and I
am sorry to hear about your recent problems securing a filament
winder.
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