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  Space Cover 284: SpaceShipOne Takes the X-Prize

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Author Topic:   Space Cover 284: SpaceShipOne Takes the X-Prize
micropooz
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Posts: 1577
From: Washington, DC, USA
Registered: Apr 2003

posted 09-28-2014 07:06 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for micropooz   Click Here to Email micropooz     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Space Cover of the Week, Week 284 (September 28, 2014)

Space Cover #284: SpaceShipOne Takes the X-Prize

With the latest revelation that SpaceShipTwo would not make its first commercial flight until early 2015, I reflected back on SpaceShipOne and realized that we are coming up on the 10th anniversary of SpaceShipOne making two flights into space within a week and winning the Ansari X-Prize. These two flights took place on September 29, 2004 and October 4, 2004 (see postmarked cards above) over Mojave, CA.

The two cards above were hand canceled at Mojave for their respective flight. The Sept 29 card was autographed by Burt Rutan, the designer of SpaceShipOne. And the October 4 card was autographed by both Rutan and Brian Binnie, the pilot of the October 4 flight. And both cards were among the 199 sets of cards carried onboard SpaceShipOne on the October 4 flight. These cards were prepared and certified as flown by Tonya Rutan, Burt’s wife. They were sold as a set, along with the similar card postmarked for the June 21, 2004 first civilian flight into space, which was also flown on the October 4 flight (below).

I believe that the set of three sold for $75 back then, but have lost that documentation. If any of you have other information on these, please post!

At the time of these flights, it was thought that the follow-on SpaceShipTwo would be carrying passengers into space in just a few years. Now ten years later, the SpaceShipTwo team has found out how difficult passenger-carrying spaceflight can still be...

astrobock
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Posts: 152
From: WV, USA
Registered: Sep 2006

posted 09-28-2014 10:10 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for astrobock   Click Here to Email astrobock     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thanks Dennis. I've always liked these hand cancelled cards and especially signed. Is the round blue x/199 sticker the only indicator that it was a flown card?

micropooz
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Posts: 1577
From: Washington, DC, USA
Registered: Apr 2003

posted 09-28-2014 08:15 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for micropooz   Click Here to Email micropooz     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The blue sticker, plus each set came with a COA signed by Tonya Rutan.

cosmos-walter
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Posts: 710
From: Salzburg, Austria
Registered: Jun 2003

posted 10-03-2014 06:26 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for cosmos-walter   Click Here to Email cosmos-walter     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Were any letters, covers or cards flown on SpaceShipOne flights into space additionally to these 199 sets of three cards?

micropooz
Member

Posts: 1577
From: Washington, DC, USA
Registered: Apr 2003

posted 10-03-2014 05:43 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for micropooz   Click Here to Email micropooz     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Walter has a good question, for which I don't know the answer. Anyone?

cosmos-walter
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Posts: 710
From: Salzburg, Austria
Registered: Jun 2003

posted 10-04-2014 10:19 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for cosmos-walter   Click Here to Email cosmos-walter     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Back in 2009 we believed SpaceShipTwo would reach space in the near future. Thus a few series of these three SpaceShipOne flown cards were sent into International Space Station. Each was postmarked on the 5th anniversary of its SpaceShipOne mission reaching space. These double space-flown cards should document the change from NASA to commercial spaceflights.

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