# SpaceShipOne X-Prize -- Live!
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaceshipone-x-prize-live/266668
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [September 29, 2004, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaceshipone-x-prize-live/266668 "2004-09-29T14:21:18Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2004, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaceshipone-x-prize-live/266668/1 "2004-09-29T14:21:18Z")
For those who are interested, [space.com](http://space.com) has a [live webcast](http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/xprize_full_coverage.html) going right now … WhiteKnight/SS1 have just taken off, which means we have an hour or so to wait while they get to altitude.
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### Author:  [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2004, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaceshipone-x-prize-live/266668/2 "2004-09-29T15:11:58Z")
Whoopsie. They just separated, and cut the engines after less than a minute.
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### Author:  [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2004, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaceshipone-x-prize-live/266668/3 "2004-09-29T15:15:24Z")
okay, after going into an uncontrolled spin (or yaw, or whatever they call it) looks like Mike Melvill made it to 338,000 feet, or 103 km
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### Author:  [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2004, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaceshipone-x-prize-live/266668/4 "2004-09-29T16:29:36Z")
That was definitely a tense minute while it went into that spin, wasn’t it? Fortunately Mike came out of it and appeared to pull if off, as you say. The news reports indicate that “unofficial” results show he made it, although as of right now the assorted independent verifications have not reported in.
For those of you that missed the excitement, [this MSNBC news story](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6126386/) has a link to the video.
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### Author:  [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2004, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaceshipone-x-prize-live/266668/5 "2004-09-29T17:19:47Z")
My mom and I both about had heart attacks, but at least it ended well.
Oh, and this is so unbelievably cool!
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### Author:  [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2004, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaceshipone-x-prize-live/266668/6 "2004-09-29T17:45:28Z")
I had troubles with the webcast. Have a T1 or better here at work, but darned if i could get more than 3-4 min before it stopped (sometimes it came back, but usually I had to reload)
I did see rollout, separation/ignition, and translation from feather to flight mode tho.
Way cool. It would be neat if DaVinci got a launch in before SS1 does #2, but I’m guessing they won’t.
Brian
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### Author:  [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2004, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaceshipone-x-prize-live/266668/7 "2004-09-29T17:52:08Z")
73 miles up, baby! 73 miles and I bet he’d have gone higher if he hadn’t had the problems!
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### Author:  [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2004, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaceshipone-x-prize-live/266668/8 "2004-09-29T19:21:29Z")
I want a [ticket](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6115258/)!!!
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### Author:  [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2004, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spaceshipone-x-prize-live/266668/9 "2004-09-29T20:54:42Z")
In case anyone’s interested, there’ll be a [Discovery Channel special](http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/raceforspace/raceforspace.html) on Sunday, Oct. 3 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.