View source for SpaceShipOne flight 17P

{{Short description|Final spaceflight in the Tier One program}}
{{More footnotes|date=April 2009}}
{{Infobox spaceflight
| name                  = SpaceShipOne flight 17P
| image                 = SpaceShipOne Takeoff photo Don Ramey Logan.jpg
| image_caption         = 
| insignia              =

| mission_type          = Test flight
| operator              = [[Scaled Composites]]
| mission_duration      = 24&nbsp;minutes
| suborbital_apogee     = {{convert|112.01|km|mi|sp=us}}<ref name=alt/>

| spacecraft            = [[SpaceShipOne]]
| manufacturer          = [[Scaled Composites]]
| launch_mass           = 
| landing_mass          =

| launch_date           = {{start-date|October 4, 2004, 14:49|timezone=yes}}&nbsp;UTC 
| launch_site           = [[Scaled Composites White Knight|White Knight]], [[Mojave Air and Space Port|Mojave]]

| landing_date          = {{end-date|October 4, 2004, 15:13|timezone=yes}}&nbsp;UTC 
| landing_site          = [[Mojave Air and Space Port|Mojave]]

| crew_size             = 1
| crew_members          = [[Brian Binnie]]
| crew_photo            = 
| crew_photo_caption    = 
|programme = '''[[Scaled Composites Tier One]]'''
|previous_mission = [[SpaceShipOne flight 16P|Flight 16P]]
}}

'''Flight 17P''' of [[SpaceShipOne]] was a [[spaceflight]] in the [[Scaled Composites Tier One|Tier One]] program that took place on October 4, 2004. It was the second competitive flight in the [[Ansari X Prize]] competition to demonstrate a non-governmental reusable crewed spacecraft, and is hence also referred to as the '''X2''' flight.  It was a successful flight, winning the X PRIZE.

==Crew==
{{Spaceflight crew
|terminology       = Astronaut
|position1         = Pilot
|crew1_up          = [[Brian Binnie]]
|flights1_up       = Only
}}

==Scheduling==
[[File:Brian Binnie flight preflight before the final SpaceShipOne flight 17P photo Don Ramey Logan.jpg|thumb|left|Brian Binnie flight preflight before the final SpaceShipOne flight 17P]]
[[File:Brian Binnie runs his Prelaunch Checklist inside SpaceShipOne flight 17P photo D Ramey Logan.jpg|thumb|Brian Binnie runs his Prelaunch Checklist inside SpaceShipOne flight 17P]]
To win the X PRIZE, a spacecraft needed to make two successful competitive flights within 14 days.  SpaceShipOne made a successful competitive flight on September 29, 2004, and so needed to make a second by October 13, 2004, in order to win.  Scaled Composites aimed to be able to fly three times within the two weeks in order to allow for a failed flight.

The date of the flight, October 4, 2004, was the 47th anniversary of the launch of [[Sputnik 1]], the first artificial [[satellite]] to [[orbit]] the [[Earth]] and the same day astronaut [[Gordon Cooper]] died.  [[SpaceShipOne flight 11P|SpaceShipOne's first powered flight]] was, in a similar vein, on the 100th anniversary of the first ever powered flight by the [[Wright Brothers]].

The [[da Vinci Project]], another X PRIZE contender, planned to make its first competitive flight on October 2, 2004, which might have caused a race to develop, affecting the scheduling.  However, they encountered problems and had to delay their flights.  Tier One was therefore able to follow their original flight schedule.  Scaled Composites reported that they could have turned the spacecraft around faster than the five days they actually allowed for it.

It was anticipated by observers that [[Mike Melvill]], the [[pilot (spaceflight)|pilot]] on both previous spaceflights by SpaceShipOne, would pilot this flight also.  This expectation was not supported by any real evidence, but was based on Melvill's prior experience.{{Citation needed|date=April 2009}}  On the morning of the flight it was announced that [[Brian Binnie]] would be the pilot.

==Manifest==

Under [[Ansari X PRIZE]] rules, the flight was required to carry 180 [[kilogram|kg]] [[Payload (air and space craft)|payload]], to simulate two 90&nbsp;kg [[human]] [[passenger]]s.  Whereas Scaled Composites stated that the [[SpaceShipOne flight 16P|first competitive flight]] would not carry passengers, it did not make any such statement about later competitive flights.  It seemed possible that [[Burt Rutan]] would be a passenger on flight 17P, but in the end he was not, since the [[Federal Aviation Administration|FAA]] had restricted the flight to just the pilot and no passengers.{{Citation needed|date=April 2009}}  The payload included:
*X PRIZE flight monitoring equipment, known as the "gold box"
*the [[The Explorers Club|Explorers Club]] flag, by arrangement between the Explorers Club and the [[X PRIZE Foundation]]

The same logos were carried as on [[SpaceShipOne flight 16P|flight 16P]]:
*[[Scaled Composites]]
*"SpaceShipOne: a Paul G. Allen project" on SpaceShipOne
*"White Knight" on White Knight
*[[Virgin Galactic]], on the tails
*[[Virgin Group|Virgin]], on the fuselage
*[[Ansari X PRIZE]], as required by X PRIZE rules
*[[The Spirit of St. Louis (science center)|The Spirit of St. Louis]], a science center
*[[M&M's]]
*[[7-Up]] Plus
*[[Champ Car]] World Series

==Flight profile==
[[File:Launch of the Rockets on SpaceShipOne photo Don Ramey Logan.jpg|thumb|left|Launch of the Rockets on SpaceShipOne]]
[[File:Family of Brian Binnie react as he launches into Space on the final SpaceShipOne Flight photo D Ramey Logan.jpg|thumb|left|Family of Brian Binnie react as he launches into Space on the final SpaceShipOne Flight 17P]]
[[File:Wife of astronaut Brian Binnie greets him upon compleation of the final flight photo D Ramey Logan.jpg|thumb|Wife of astronaut Brian Binnie greets him upon completion of the final flight]]
[[File:Brian Binnie moments after returning to earth in SpaceShipOnes final mission 17P photo D Ramey Logan.jpg|thumb|Brian Binnie moments after returning to earth in SpaceShipOne's final mission 17P]]
''All times are in [[Pacific Daylight Time|PDT]], which is seven hours behind [[UTC]].  This was the local civil time at the spaceport on the day of the flight.''

The SpaceShipOne [[pilot (spaceflight)|pilot]] was [[Brian Binnie]].  [[Scaled Composites White Knight|White Knight]] was piloted by [[Mike Melvill]].

Taxiing, scheduled for 06:30, began at 06:36.  Takeoff from [[Mojave Spaceport]], scheduled for 07:00, took place at 06:49.  White Knight then carried SpaceShipOne to the launch altitude, in excess of 43,500 feet (13.3&nbsp;km).  SpaceShipOne separated from White Knight at 07:49, and promptly ignited its [[rocket]].

The rocket motor was capable of burning for approximately 87 [[second|s]].  The burn-out altitude was in excess of 200,000 feet (61&nbsp;km).  After burn-out the craft continued to [[coast phase|coast]] upwards.  The wing was feathered, into high-drag configuration, during the coasting phase.  The spacecraft coasted to apogee at an altitude of {{convert|112.01|km|ft|sp=us}},<ref name=alt>"[http://www.fai.org/fai-record-file/?recordId=9881 FAI Record ID #9881 - Altitude above the earth's surface with or without maneuvres of the aerospacecraft, Class P-1 (Suborbital missions) ] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018225245/http://www.fai.org/fai-record-file/?recordId=9881 |date=2015-10-18 }}" [http://www.fai.org/fai-record-file/?recordId=10434 Mass] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924043352/http://www.fai.org/fai-record-file/?recordId=10434 |date=2015-09-24 }} [http://www.fai.org/fai-record-file/?recordId=9882 Time] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924045447/http://www.fai.org/fai-record-file/?recordId=9882 |date=2015-09-24 }} ''[[Fédération Aéronautique Internationale]] (FAI).'' Retrieved: 21 September 2014.</ref> well in excess of the X PRIZE target altitude.  It also broke the record altitude of 354,200 feet (107.96&nbsp;km) for a [[rocket plane]], set by the [[North American X-15|X-15]] in 1963.

After apogee, SpaceShipOne [[atmospheric reentry|reentered the atmosphere]] in its feathered configuration, and then changed to gliding configuration at 07:57.  SpaceShipOne then glided back to the spaceport, deployed landing gear at 4,200 feet (1.28&nbsp;km), and landed safely at 08:13.  White Knight then landed at 08:19.

==Spectacle==
[[File:SpaceShipOne Camp mojave Mission 17P photo D Ramey Logan.jpg|thumb|SpaceShipOne Camp Mojave Mission 17P]]
As with SpaceShipOne's previous spaceflights, a large crowd watched from [[Mojave Spaceport]].  There was also live television coverage, and various websites provided coverage in their medium of preference.

Distinguished attendees included:
*[[Richard Branson]], of [[Virgin Galactic]]
*[[Paul Allen]], of [[Mojave Aerospace Ventures]]
*[[Rick Searfoss]], chief X PRIZE judge
*[[Jerry Pournelle]], [[science fiction]] author

==X PRIZE==

The [[Ansari X PRIZE]] requires that two spaceflights be made by the same spacecraft within two weeks.  SpaceShipOne successfully made its first competitive flight ([[SpaceShipOne flight 16P|flight 16P]]) on September 29, 2004.  This second successful competitive flight therefore won the X PRIZE.  This was declared by [[Rick Searfoss]], the chief X PRIZE judge, at a post-flight press briefing.  The prize was awarded on November 6, 2004.

==Retirement==
[[File:SpaceShipOneAirandSpaceMuseum.JPG|thumb|left|SpaceShipOne now hangs in the [[National Air and Space Museum]] in Washington D.C.]]

On July 25, 2005, SpaceShipOne was taken to the [[Oshkosh Airshow]] in [[Oshkosh, Wisconsin|Oshkosh]], [[Wisconsin]]. After the airshow, Mike Melvill and crew flew the [[Scaled Composites White Knight|White Knight]], carrying SpaceShipOne, to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, where Melvill spoke to a group of about 300 military and civilian personnel. Later in the evening, Melvill gave a presentation at the Dayton Engineers Club, entitled "Some Experiments in Space Flight," in honor of [[Wright brothers|Wilbur Wright]]'s now-famous presentation to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 1901 entitled "Some Experiments in Flight." The White Knight then transported SpaceShipOne to the [[Smithsonian Institution|Smithsonian Institution's]] [[National Air and Space Museum]] to be put on display. It was unveiled on Wednesday October 5, 2005 in the Milestones of Flight gallery and is now on display to the public in the main atrium with the [[Spirit of St. Louis]], the [[Bell X-1]], the [[Wright Flyer]], and the [[Apollo 11]] command module ''Columbia''.

Commander [[Brian Binnie]] donated the flight suit worn during his Ansari X Prize-winning flight to an auction benefiting Seattle's [[Museum of Flight]].  Entertainer and charity auctioneer Fred Northup, Jr. purchased the flight suit, and it is on loan and displayed at the museum's new Charles Simonyi Space Gallery.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20040729112712/http://web1-xprize.primary.net/press_room/press_releases/press.php?presstitle=20040727 Go for launch! X PRIZE Foundation announces teams ready to compete for $10 million]
*[http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/xprize_full_coverage.html SPACE.com contemporaneous report]
*[http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/xprize2_success_041004.html SPACE.com: SpaceShipOne Wins $10 Million Ansari X PRIZE in Historic 2nd Trip to Space]
*[http://www.spaceflightnow.com/ss1/status.html Spaceflight Now contemporaneous report]
*[http://www.spaceflightnow.com/ss1/041004x2launch.html Spaceflight Now: SpaceShipOne launches for X PRIZE]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20041012045418/http://www.xprize.org/press_room/press_releases/press.php?articleID=130 X PRIZE press release: SpaceShipOne reaches over 360,000 feet to win the $10 million ANSARI X PRIZE]
* [http://www.aviationnow.com/avnow/news/channel_awst_story.jsp?id=news/10114top.xml  Aviation Week & Space Technology gives technical details on how roll problem was avoided] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041211195824/http://www.aviationnow.com/avnow/news/channel_awst_story.jsp?id=news/10114top.xml |date=2004-12-11 }}

{{Scaled Composites}}
{{Ansari X-Prize}}

[[Category:SpaceShipOne]]
[[Category:Scaled Composites Tier One]]
[[Category:Suborbital human spaceflights]]
[[Category:Private space missions]]
[[Category:2004 in spaceflight]]