SpaceShipOne flight 16P

Lore & Background

Flight 16P was the first of two required competitive flights for the Ansari X PRIZE. The pilot initially selected was Mike Melvill; Brian Binnie served as backup and later flew flight 17P. Melvill's selection was not publicly announced until about two hours before planned takeoff, surprising many because Melvill had previously said he wanted a break from flying SpaceShipOne.

Reader's Guide

Flight 16P marked a critical step in the Ansari X PRIZE competition, demonstrating that a non-governmental reusable crewed spacecraft could reach space. The flight carried 180 kg of payload, including monitoring equipment, the Explorers Club flag, video gear, and personal mementos. A serious roll excursion began 50 seconds into the rocket burn at Mach 2.7, likely due to pilot error, but the pilot allowed the burn to continue. Ground controllers recommended aborting the burn once sufficient velocity assured reaching 100 km; the pilot cut the burn 11 seconds early, at 76 seconds. The craft completed 29 rolls before the pilot damped them using reaction jets after apogee. The flight landed safely, and a second competitive flight (17P) followed on October 4, 2004, winning the X PRIZE.

Did You Know?

• The pilot initially selected for flight 16P was Mike Melvill, with Brian Binnie as backup; Binnie later flew flight 17P.
• The rocket motor was cut short by the automatic engine shutdown system due to a roll excursion triggering a gyroscopic limit, not by ground controller recommendation.
• The spacecraft performed 29 complete rolls during the flight, which the pilot later described as 'kind of cool.'
• The payload did not include the ashes of Burt Rutan's mother, Irene Rutan; those ashes were flown on flight 15P.