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A fledgling aerospace company has taken another
step towards making private space flights.
Xcor Aerospace's rocket-powered plane soared
9,000 feet over the desert.
The EZ-Rocket streaked off a windy Mojave Airport
runway and into a cloudy sky.
The rocket is outfitted with twin, 400-pound
thrust rocket engines.
Dick Rutan who made history in 1986 as co-pilot
on the first nonstop, around-the-world flight without refueling,
was at the controls.
The engines burned noisily for several minutes
as the plane circled the field at more than 212mph, then sputtered
and cut off. The plane glided for several more minutes, then
landed safely and coasted to a stop.
"This was the first baby step to space
for civilians," Rutan said as he climbed out of the cockpit
of the plane, a modified Long-EZ designed by his brother, Burt
Rutan.
The experimental Long-EZ is the same two-seater,
push-prop plane that singer-songwriter John Denver was piloting
when he died in a 1997 crash; the modified version is serving
as a test bed for Xcor's rocket engines.
Monday's flight was the fifth for the EZ-Rocket,
which cost less than $500,000 to build. Its engines burn isopropyl
alcohol and liquid oxygen, consuming about $75 worth of fuel
during each fleeting flight.
The company hopes to eventually build a craft
capable of flying regularly to altitudes of 60 miles that could
allow scientists to conduct experiments in microgravity and
lure paying tourists eager to see space.
Story filed: 09:03 Tuesday 13th November 2001
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