# X-Prize Fans: Let's Get Ready to Rockeeeeeeet!!! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 8, 2004, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-prize-fans-lets-get-ready-to-rockeeeeeeet/239043 "2004-04-08T22:18:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-prize-fans-lets-get-ready-to-rockeeeeeeet/239043/1 "2004-04-08T22:18:04Z")
[Rutan just got FAA approval for suborbital flight!](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4686400/) šŸ†’šŸ†’šŸ†’ > [@](#): > > The Federal Aviation Administration?s associate administrator for commercial space transportation has given license approval to Scaled Composites of Mojave, Calif., permitting the firm to expand flight testing of SpaceShipOne ? a privately financed rocket plane to carry passengers to suborbital altitude. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-prize-fans-lets-get-ready-to-rockeeeeeeet/239043/2 "2004-04-08T22:43:02Z")
Will Rutan sing ā€œRocketmanā€ a la Adam Shatner as he climbs away? šŸ˜ƒ Or maybe heĀ“ll do a cover of Mayor Tom perhaps? ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2004, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-prize-fans-lets-get-ready-to-rockeeeeeeet/239043/3 "2004-04-09T04:20:24Z")
> [@Ale](#): > > Will Rutan sing ā€œRocketmanā€ a la Adam Shatner as he climbs away? šŸ˜ƒ > Or maybe heĀ“ll do a cover of Mayor Tom perhaps? Adam Shatner? Donā€™t you mean **William** Shatner? ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2004, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-prize-fans-lets-get-ready-to-rockeeeeeeet/239043/4 "2004-04-09T05:09:22Z")
Iā€™m kinda rooting for the da Vinci Project, myself, being as theyā€™re launching from Kindersley and all. If they provide advance notice of their launch, I might just have to pop down and watch. šŸ™‚ Still, Burtā€™s got one seriously bitching spaceship, there. ---
**Author:** ![RandomLetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8edcca/32.png) [@RandomLetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandomLetters)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2004, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-prize-fans-lets-get-ready-to-rockeeeeeeet/239043/5 "2004-04-09T11:55:42Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > Adam Shatner? Donā€™t you mean **William** Shatner? Canā€™t be William Shatner, **Ale** mentioned singing. šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2004, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-prize-fans-lets-get-ready-to-rockeeeeeeet/239043/6 "2004-04-09T12:18:28Z")
SS1 breaks the sound barrier again: [http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=b2e74609-c543-4a8b-9401-f9cc819082ad&Dynamic=1](http://www.aero-news.net/news/aerospace.cfm?ContentBlockID=b2e74609-c543-4a8b-9401-f9cc819082ad&Dynamic=1) Brian ---
**Author:** ![Exgineer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Exgineer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exgineer)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2004, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-prize-fans-lets-get-ready-to-rockeeeeeeet/239043/7 "2004-04-09T12:22:48Z")
Iā€™ve seen coverage of the glide tests, but I didnā€™t know they did in-flight engine tests. This is really cool. The jackleg in me also loves a bunch of guys who make control surface adjustments with a chainsaw. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2004, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-prize-fans-lets-get-ready-to-rockeeeeeeet/239043/8 "2004-04-09T13:02:11Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > Adam Shatner? Donā€™t you mean **William** Shatner? Ooops!, Freud make me do that, really! ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2004, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-prize-fans-lets-get-ready-to-rockeeeeeeet/239043/9 "2004-04-09T13:50:34Z")
Woooooo!!! [Burt](http://www.space.com/news/faa_spaceshipone_040407.html)! [Burt](http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/spaceshipone_test_040408.html)! Woooo!!! Iā€™ve been following this as closely as is possible with this secretive bunch ā€¦ letā€™s hear it for [Burt](http://www.scaled.com/)! That latest story says this latest test got them over 105,000 feet, or about 1/3 of the height they need to make to get the Prize, which is approximately 330,000 feet. Very exciting! ---
**Author:** ![nocturnal\_tick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3d9bf3/32.png) [@nocturnal\_tick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nocturnal_tick)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2004, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-prize-fans-lets-get-ready-to-rockeeeeeeet/239043/10 "2004-04-09T17:15:01Z")
> [@Ale](#): > > Will Rutan sing ā€œRocketmanā€ a la Adam Shatner as he climbs away? > Or maybe heĀ“ll do a cover of Mayor Tom perhaps? I think you mean Adam Sandler in Mr. Deeds and he sang Major Tom, not Rocketman (I think) ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-prize-fans-lets-get-ready-to-rockeeeeeeet/239043/11 "2004-04-14T22:30:56Z")
[Test results for Rutanā€™s latest flight.](http://www.xprize.org/press/release_052.html) Seems to be a robust design. > [@](#): > > A planned immediate motor ignition was delayed about 2 minutes to evaluate a shock induced stall buffet resulting in an ignition altitude of only 38,300 feet.