World News 05-10-2004 SpaceshipOne Rockets To $10m Prize who: Pilot Brian Binnie what: Flies SpaceshipOne out of the Earth’s atmosphere to clinch Ansari X prize where: Mojave Desert, California when: Yesterday snippet: "In the annals of aviation, it will undoubtedly rank alongside such momentous events as the Wright brothers’ first powered flight in 1903 and Charles Lindbergh’s transatlantic crossing in 1927," hyperbolises James Reynolds in this morning`s Scotsman after SpaceShipOne, funded by Microsoft’s co-founder Paul G Allen, blasted 62 miles above the Earth`s atmosphere to claim the $10m Ansari prize. It was the second of two trips needed to secure the prize, notes The Telegraph, "which was set up in 1996 to encourage the commercial space programme. To win, a manned, three-seater craft had to be flown at least 62 miles above the Earth twice in a fortnight." During last week`s flight, the stubby craft went into a violent roll "that almost aborted the mission as the pilot, Mike Melvill, fought to regain control." But yesterday`s mission went without a hitch, bringing a watching Richard Branson`s hope of establishing commercial space flight within the next four years a step closer to reality. For pilot Brian Binnie, it already is a reality. "It`s a fantastic view; it`s a fantastic feeling," he told BBC News Online after landing. "There is a freedom there and a sense of wonder that - I tell you what - you all need to experience." [... more]

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