This week the luckiest human on earth flew briefly beyond its surly bonds. For about one hundred eighty seconds Mike Melvill hopped a three ton rocket-powered craft to leave our atmosphere behind, becoming the first civilian pilot ever to do so. God willing he's not the last to earn those wings either! Congratulations arrived from all over, even out from the professionals at ISS Alpha. The world watched a few dozen private citizens achieve an effort of nations, motivated by that shared urge to keep adding step after one small step.
Two generations by now from Vostok 1 to SpaceShipOne seems long, almost like foot-dragging. Some of that might have been waiting for the governments of the world to start cooperating more. Perhaps some was more an expression of now what, after the moon? Maybe the moment just needed a group of dedicated, determined, resourceful men. Technically the simple two stage approach introduced challenges of material and not construction; my understanding is that the "shuttlecock" had no hydraulic or computer flight controls, preferring a throwback to the security of stick and cables, the right stuff to build dreams.
The Allen-financed/Rutan-designed venture has long been the contender for the X-Prize, but will they be able to claim it? ("If he has the time, Doctor.") The terms expire in six months and yet this first flight produced bugs severe enough to merit caution before attempting paired flights to claim the purse. Hopefully their success will spark a rapid evolution of similar designs- the line for a seat is already long! It's interesting to note the flights of Melvill and Tito reportedly cost about the same.
After over a dozen journeys together White Knight and SpaceShipOne make one for the record books; fact realizes another vision of science fiction. Did the Wright Brothers or Gagarin ever foresee the Mojave Spaceport? Early Trek seemed to include but not emphasize the civilian into space, and of course today Enterprise is off on some stupid Time Trek and can't be bothered with something as banal as exploring space. But where the people lead, the leaders follow.
Though he brought no parachute this newest astronaut did bring, not a camera, but rather a useful treat along. Deploying the colored candies inside the cabin at arc-top imaginatively demonstrates the realities of weightlessness (and hints at the panache of the sexagenarian pilot!). It also allows ground-bound future pilots to share the experience for now, chomping on sweets to anticipate their own rainbow race some day atop the very sky.