The exhibit includes
SpaceShipOne, S/N #2, down to the signatures of the Scaled Composites
crew who wrote their names on the spacecraft before its first flight,
and a six-minute film detailing the flight and achievement.
But the exhibit is much
more than a static display. "It demonstrates what we believe is the
critical breakthrough—feathering—that made this whole thing
possible," said Museum Director Adam Smith. The feathering process
allowed SpaceShipOne to slow down and safely re-enter the atmosphere
without excessive heating. Later it "unfeathered" for landing.
There is a good reason
why the exhibit spacecraft is so realistic. It was created from 27 parts
made by Scaled Composite volunteers, which were then shipped to Oshkosh
for assembly. "It was really the world’s biggest model airplane
kit," Smith said. "All Scaled Composites didn’t give us was
a big tube of glue."
Craig Willan, an aircraft
engineer and homebuilder, funded the exhibit. He challenged those in
attendance to do something amazing. "EAA and Oshkosh has the power
to inspire us. The power of the individual, the passion of the
individual, to do great things."
Poberezny said
SpaceShipOne will help change the face of aviation. But he’s most
proud of where the movement started. "This accomplishment started
in the homebuilt movement, and I’m proud that EAA could be the
catalyst," he said.
Rutan said he picked the
corny name for the craft—SpaceShipOne—because it better described
the future of spaceflight. "It signifies something important to the
industry that is coming up, not that we were the first ones to leave the
atmosphere without a government program."
The technology of
SpaceShipOne will allow more people to fly to outerspace safely and at a
lower cost. "This will not just be an industry that flies a few
billionaires, but it will be for everyone," Rutan said.
Melvill said he was just
the "lucky guy" chosen to do the first flight after being
dropped off by the mothership White Knight at 50,000 feet. It took him
only nine seconds to decide that SpaceShipOne flew well. But it was also
scary and frightening, since the spacecraft had never been tested in a
wind tunnel but was just in Rutan’s head.
But the exhibit doesn’t
just tell the story of an aviation milestone; it also is a milestone for
the museum.
"For the last 42
years, EAA has been an air museum," said Smith. "Today we
became an air and space museum. When Paul Poberezny and Steve Wittman
founded the museum, who would have imagined that EAA members would build
a spaceship. This exhibit honors that."
Smith added that the
museum would next add a space gallery to tell the rest of the
SpaceShipOne story and take aviation to the next generation.
In addition, the Rutan
family has earmarked $100,000 to be donated to the ideals and goals of
the EAA. Poberezny said that money would be used to tell the story of
the Rutan legacy.
