SpaceShipOne wins the XPrize
Pictures by Stratofox team members

X-Prize Flight 1: SpaceShipOne is shown to the crowd

The people at Scaled Composites obviously know they're among many other aviation and space enthusiasts. Each time SpaceShipOne has flown to space, they immediately bring it in front of the crowd, even the general public. It's amazing. It's exciting to be there. Thanks and congratulations to everyone at Scaled.

(all pictures on this page are by Ian Kluft)

(3072x2048 2418K) (500x333 21K)	SpaceShipOne is being towed to the VIP viewing area.
(3072x2048 2569K) (500x333 22K)	The person standing on the platform is speaking at the VIP area.
(3072x2048 2742K) (500x333 28K)	Off-duty XPrize volunteers watched from the general public viewing area.
(3072x2048 2590K) (500x333 21K)	The crowd watches, waiting for SpaceShipOne to be brought to the general public viewing area.
(3072x2048 2627K) (500x333 23K)	SpaceShipOne is on display at the VIP viewing area. The press conference started while XPrize founder Peter Diamandis was giving a long-winded self-congratulatory speech. The PA system cut over to the press conference. We were much more pleased to be listening to Mike Melvill answering questions from the media.
(3072x2048 2731K) (500x333 24K)	SpaceShipOne is on display at the VIP viewing area. The press conference is playing over the PA system here at the general public viewing area.
(3072x2048 2992K) (500x333 24K)	Security is still scolding members of the public for crossing an imaginary line that they neglected to post.
(3072x2048 2611K) (500x333 16K)	SpaceShipOne is on display at the VIP viewing area.
(3072x2048 2473K) (500x333 21K)	SpaceShipOne is being towed to the general public viewing area. Civilian Astronaut Mike Melvill stands on top of SpaceShipOne in what I started calling "the Yeager position" because he looks like the pictures of Chuck Yeager standing on the X-1 rocket plane after the first supersonic flight in 1947. (By the way, that flight also took place over this valley. Edwards AFB is just a few miles from Mojave.)
(3072x2048 2632K) (500x333 23K)	Civilian Astronaut Mike Melvill stands on top of SpaceShipOne as it is towed to the general public viewing area. Melvill is also Vice President and General Manager of Scaled Composites.
(3072x2048 2521K) (500x333 23K)	Civilian Astronaut Mike Melvill stands on top of SpaceShipOne as it is towed to the general public viewing area.
(3072x2048 2693K) (500x333 23K)	Civilian Astronaut Mike Melvill stands on top of SpaceShipOne as it is towed to the general public viewing area.
(3072x2048 2619K) (500x333 21K)	Mike Melvill raises his arms in celebration and the crowd goes wild.
(3072x2048 2657K) (500x333 22K)	Mike Melvill stands on top of SpaceShipOne at the general public viewing area. The truck towing the spaceship has stopped at the intersection of Taxiways Alpha and Bravo. (The crowd is on the newly-constructed currently-blocked-off Taxiway Bravo.)
(3072x2048 1795K) (500x333 9K)	Mike Melvill gives two thumbs up to the crowd. He likes us. And we definitely like him.
(3072x2048 1759K) (500x333 8K)	Mike Melvill acknowgedges an enthusiastic member of the crowd to his right.
(3072x2048 2188K) (500x333 16K)	Mike Melvill waves to the crowd.
(3072x2048 2469K) (500x333 18K)	Mike Melvill waves to the crowd.
(3072x2048 1788K) (500x333 9K)	Mike Melvill asks one of the crew if he can use his camera to take a picture of the crowd.
(3072x2048 2526K) (500x333 19K)	Mike Melvill stands on top of SpaceShipOne at the general public viewing area. Burt Rutan can be seen sitting on the tailgate of the pickup truck. Paul Allen is not visisble in this photo but is also sitting on the tailgate.
(3072x2048 1856K) (500x333 9K)	Mike Melvill gives two thumbs up to the crowd.
(3072x2048 1755K) (500x333 7K)	Mike Melvill speaks with crew members.
(3072x2048 1743K) (500x333 7K)	Mike Melvill uses a camera that was handed up to him to take pictures of all the people that came to see the flight.
(3072x2048 1764K) (500x333 8K)	Mike Melville uses a camera that was handed up to him to take pictures of all the people that came to see the flight.
(3072x2048 2361K) (500x333 20K)	Mike Melvill stand on SpaceShipOne. He has handed the camera back down to the crew member.
(3072x2048 2109K) (500x333 20K)	Burt Rutan and Paul Allen sit on the tailgate of the pickup which is towing SpaceShipOne.
(3072x2048 2224K) (500x333 20K)	Burt Rutan and Paul Allen sit on the tailgate of the pickup which is towing SpaceShipOne.
(3072x2048 2388K) (500x333 20K)	Mike Melvill waves to the crowd.
(3072x2048 2254K) (500x333 16K)	Mike looks up. What could have gotten his attention? Of course it's a plane. Sean Lynch tells me it was an F-117 stealth fighter. Apparently nearby Edwards AFB is sending its congratulations. I wish I had looked up too.
(3072x2048 2300K) (500x333 18K)	Another two-thumbs up for the crowd as the pickup truck starts slowly towing SpaceShipOne for the rest of the crowd to see.
(3072x2048 2211K) (500x333 17K)	Another two-thumbs up for the crowd.
(3072x2048 2148K) (500x333 16K)	Another two-thumbs up for the crowd.
(3072x2048 2171K) (500x333 16K)	SpaceShipOne is brought further down Taxiway Alpha for the rest of the crowd to see.
(3072x2048 2219K) (500x333 17K)	Mike Melvill stands atop SpaceShipOne as it's towed slowly.
(3072x2048 2270K) (500x333 19K)	Mike Melvill walks to another position atop SpaceShipOne as it's towed slowly.
(3072x2048 2388K) (500x333 18K)	Mike Melvill stands atop SpaceShipOne as it's towed slowly.
(3072x2048 1985K) (500x333 16K)	Paul Allen and Burt Rutan sit on the tailgate of the pickup truck which is towing SpaceShipOne.
(3072x2048 2387K) (500x333 16K)	Mike Melvill stands atop SpaceShipOne as it's towed slowly.
(3072x2048 2235K) (500x333 15K)	Another two-thumbs up for others in the crowd just now getting to see SpaceShipOne up close.
(3072x2048 1976K) (500x333 12K)	Another two-thumbs up for others in the crowd just now getting to see SpaceShipOne up close.
(3072x2048 2047K) (500x333 20K)	Paul Allen and Burt Rutan sit on the tailgate of the pickup truck which is towing SpaceShipOne.
(3072x2048 1804K) (500x333 3K)	One of the US Air Force Thunderbirds flight demonstration team's F-16 fighter jets flies over the Mojave Airport in congratulations to SpaceShipOne's flight.
(3072x2048 1713K) (500x333 3K)	One of the US Air Force Thunderbirds flight demonstration team's F-16 fighter jets flies over the Mojave Airport in congratulations to SpaceShipOne's flight.
(3072x2048 1753K) (500x333 3K)	One of the US Air Force Thunderbirds flight demonstration team's F-16 fighter jets flies over the Mojave Airport in congratulations to SpaceShipOne's flight.
(3072x2048 2290K) (500x333 16K)	Mike Melvill gives another two-thumbs up. He gives the feeling that he's really happy we came. And of course, we're thrilled that he succeeded and returned safely.
(3072x2048 2139K) (500x333 13K)	Mike Melvill stands atop SpaceShipOne as it's towed slowly.
(3072x2048 1620K) (500x333 6K)	Mike Melvill stands atop SpaceShipOne as it's towed slowly.
(3072x2048 2143K) (500x333 18K)	Paul Allen and Burt Rutan sit on the tailgate of the pickup truck which is towing SpaceShipOne.
(3072x2048 2193K) (500x333 14K)	Mike Melvill stands atop SpaceShipOne as it's towed slowly.
(3072x2048 2196K) (500x333 14K)	Mike Melvill talks to Burt Rutan and Paul Allen from atop SpaceShipOne as it's towed slowly.
(3072x2048 2381K) (500x333 16K)	Mike Melvill talks to Burt Rutan and Paul Allen from atop SpaceShipOne as it's towed slowly.

Back up to Stratofox's pictures of SpaceShipOne's XPrize space flights.

Web text copyright 2004 by Stratofox, a Special Interest Group of the South Bay Community Network, Silicon Valley, California
All pictures copyright 2004 by their photographers. Any publication or redistribution of these pictures requires permission. Permission is available upon request and will require crediting the photographers for their pictures.