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Cover for SpaceShipOne: An Illustrated History by Dan Linehan Book information for SpaceShipOne: An Illustrated History by Dan Linehan
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A b o u t [ Top ]
In April, 2003, a company called Scaled Composites lifted the veil of secrecy from a longtime research program and introduced SpaceShipOne to the world. With only fifteen test flights completed beforehand, SpaceShipOne captured the $10 million Ansari X Prize in 2004. And the age of commercial space travel took off . . . like a rocket. SpaceShipOne: An Illustrated History chronicles the development of the world's first commercial manned space program—a program that includes an airborne launcher (White Knight), a spaceship (SpaceShipOne), rocket propulsion, avionics, simulator, and full ground support.

With ample illustrations, photographs, and behind-the-scenes information, SpaceShipOne provides a full picture of this highly secret project—from the conception and design to the deals that brought together Scaled Composites' Burt Rutan and Virgin Airlines' Sir Richard Branson to the plans for building a fleet of commercial suborbital spaceships (SpaceShipTwo) and launch aircraft (White Knight Two).

The story of SpaceShipOne combines the adventurous spirit of Charles Lindbergh, the entrepreneurial drive of Howard Hughes, and the urgency of the space race at the height of the Cold War.


SpaceShipOne boosts to space after separation from White Knight
SpaceShipOne rockets to space as White Knight veers off to the left after separation (photo by Dan Linehan).

B l u r b s [ Top ]
"SpaceShipOne: An Illustrated History chronicles a key milestone in the race to take private citizens and private enterprise to space. It's the story of how a group of determined and passionate aerospace designers—and their financiers—pulled off one of the most remarkable accomplishments in our conquest of gravity."

        —from the foreword by Sir Arthur C. Clarke

"While some five hundred people have been to space, only three have actually flown themselves there. SpaceShipOne: An Illustrated History puts you behind the wheel of the 'Mach 3 Ferrari' known as SpaceShipOne and describes the challenges of hand-flying the rocket to the edge of space and back again—a journey that pushed our small team to its limits to solve the demands of performance and precision for crossing the tightrope of spaceflight."

        —Brian Binnie, SpaceShipOne test pilot and astronaut

"Every great achievement of the human spirit needs a storyteller to document and immortalize the feat. For SpaceShipOne, the first privately funded rocket-plane to carry humans into space, that person is Dan Linehan. And SpaceShipOne: An Illustrated History is that story."

        —Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium and host of NOVA scienceNOW

"It was an incredible privilege for me to lead the Ansari X Prize judging team and witness the phenomenal vision, design genius, technical skill, and focused teamwork required to actually send SpaceShipOne on its winning flights. Dan Linehan's in-depth, up-close-and-personal accounts in SpaceShipOne: An Illustrated History give readers a ringside seat to history. Enjoy, learn, but most of all marvel at this world-changing step in the expansion of human beings off our home planet!"

        —Rick Searfoss, Space Shuttle astronaut and Ansari X Prize chief judge

V i d e o   &   A u d i o [ Top ]
Video:
AM Arizona on AZ-TV 7 / Cable 13, broadcasted live on 2/10/09 [watch]
BookTV on C-SPAN, recorded 12/13/08 [watch on YouTube]
Wave Street Author Show, broadcasted live on 11/25/08 [watch]
Timeless Voices of Aviation for the Experimental Aircraft Association, recorded 8/3/08

SpaceShipOne by Dan Linehan on Wave Street Authors Show Book TV interview for C-SPAN at Eagle Eye Book Shop in Decatur, Georgia. Live interview on AM Arizona.
Wave Street Authors Show (1:08:29) [watch]
  
BookTV on C-SPAN (8:05) [watch on YouTube] (photo by James Linehan) AM Arizona on AZ-TV 7 / Cable 13 (14:41) [watch] (photo by Jo Ann Johnson)
Audio:
Q&A with Sandy Moss on KQNA 1130 AM radio, broadcasted live on 2/10/09

Q&A with Sandy Moss on KQNA 1130 AM radio.
Q&A with Sandy Moss on KQNA 1130 AM radio (photo by Jo Ann Johnson).

Omega Tau, Germany, recorded 9/19/08 [listen]
The Space Show, recorded 7/21/08 [listen]
• "SpaceShipOne: Thanks for the Memories" for Space Task Force, recorded 5/31/08 [listen]

E v e n t s [ Top ]

When
(local time)
Where
What
3/5/11 San Carlos, CA Presentation and book signing for Hiller Aviation Museum
8/12/10 San Mateo, CA Presentation and book signing for Sons in Retirement
7/24/10 Carmel, CA Book signing at Local Authors Live!
1/8/10 - 1/10/10 Ontario, CA SS1 book signings at AMA Expo, featuring Burt Rutan, Dan Kreigh, Hoot Gibson, and others [more]
9/12/09 - 9/13/09 Sacramento, CA SS1 book signings at California Capital Airshow [more]
7/27/09 - 8/2/09 Oshkosh, WI Presentations all week at Museum Speaker Showcase for the 2009 EAA AirVenture, including book signings with Mike Melvill, SS1 test pilot, and Matt Stinemetze, SS1 project engineer [more]
7/19/09 Sun
  Noon
Pasadena, CA Booking signing with Burt Rutan, SS1 designer, and Mike Melvill, SS1 test pilot, at the Art Center Car Classic '09 "By Air, Land & Sea" [more]
7/17/09 Fri
  10 am
Web Forum “Engineering Elegance” presentation for Honeywell
6/13/09 Sat
  1-2:30 pm
Marysville, CA Presentation for Golden West Regional Fly-In and Airshow [more]
(Chuck Yeager speaks on Friday)
4/30/09 Thr
  12:30-1:30 pm
Flagstaff, AZ Presentation for Flagstaff Montessori School (grades 3-5)
4/28/09 Tue
  12:30 pm
Flagstaff, AZ Presentation for the Arizona Airport Association 2009 Spring Conference [more]
4/4/09 Sat
  8:30 am
Lawrenceville, GA Presentation for Experimental Aircraft Association - Chapter 690
4/3/09 Fri
  6:30-7:30 pm
Atlanta, GA Presentation (open to public) at Fernbank Science Center in the planetarium [more]
4/3/09 Fri
  7:45-8:15 am
Atlanta, GA Presentation for Scientific Tools and Techniques Program (for 9th graders) at the planetarium of Fernbank Science Center
4/2/09 Thr
  7-9 pm
Atlanta, GA Presentation for Civil Air Patrol - Peachtree DeKalb Squadron
4/2/09 Thr
  12-2 pm
Atlanta, GA Reception and book signing at Georgia Institute of Technology
4/2/09 Thr
  11 am - 12 pm
Atlanta, GA Presentation for Georgia Institute of Technology [more]
4/1/09 Wed
  11:00 am
Atlanta, GA Presentation for Silver Wings
3/23/09 Mon
  10:30 am
Carmel, CA Presentation for Carmel Valley Manor
2/18/09 Wed
  10:30 am
Daytona Beach, FL Lecture for Spacecraft Preliminary Design class at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach
2/17/09 Tue
  6:45 pm
Daytona Beach, FL Presentation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach for Engineer's Week [more]
2/14/09 Sat
  11 am - 12 pm
Tucson, AZ Presentation at Pima Air and Space Museum
2/12/09 Thr
  7 pm
Tucson, AZ Book signing at Barnes & Noble Booksellers - Eastside [more]
2/12/09 Thr
  12 noon
Tempe, AZ Book signing at Changing Hands Bookstore [more]
2/11/09 Wed
  7-8 pm
Prescott, AZ Presentation for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott Chapter of the American Aviation Historical Society
2/11/09 Wed
  11 am - 12 pm
Prescott, AZ Presentation for the library of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott
2/10/09 Tue
  6:30-8 pm
Prescott, AZ Book signing at Barnes & Noble Booksellers - Prescott Gateway Mall [more]
2/10/09 Tue
  4-5 pm
Prescott, AZ
  (radio)
Guest on "Q&A with Sandy Moss" live on KQNA 1130 AM radio
2/10/09 Tue
  10-11 am
Prescott, AZ
  (television)
Guest on "AM Arizona" live on AZ-TV 7 / Cable 13


SpaceShipOne presentation at EAA AirVenture Museum
Dan Linehan gives a presentation about SpaceShipOne at the EAA AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, underneath a replica of SpaceShipOne. This replica is the most exact one ever made, and the feather can actually be extended and retracted (photo by Greg Steinlage).

When
(local time)
Where
What
12/23/08 Tue
  5:30-7 pm
Decatur, GA Book signing at Eagle Eye Book Shop [more]
12/20/08 Sat
  1-3 pm
Suwanee, GA Book signing at Borders [more]
12/19/08 Fri
  12-1 pm
Warner Robins, GA Presentation about SS1 at the Museum of Aviation at Robins Air Force Base [more]
11/25/08 Tue
  7-8 pm
Monterey, CA Live video interview for Wave Street Authors Series broadcasted on www.livenetworks.tv with reception to follow [more] [map]
11/23/08 Sun
  11 am - 3 pm
Indianapolis, IN Book signing at Indianapolis-Greenwood Borders [more]
11/21/08 Fri
  7-9 pm
Lafayette, IN Book signing at Barnes & Noble [more]
11/21/08 Fri
  1-3 pm
West Lafayette, IN Book signing at Von's Book Shop [more]
11/20/08 Thr
  3-4 pm
West Lafayette, IN Presentation about SS1 for the School of Aeronautic and Astronautic Engineering at Purdue University with reception at 2:30 PM [more]
9/28/08 Sun
  12, 2, 4 pm
Salinas, CA Book signing at the California International Airshow [more]
9/27/08 Sat
  12, 2, 4 pm
Salinas, CA Book signing at the California International Airshow [more]
8/30/08 Sat
  2-4 pm
Monterey, CA Book signing at the Monterey Public Library [more]
8/21/08 Thr
  6:45-9 pm
Los Angeles, CA Dinner & presentation about SS1 for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics [more]
8/3/08 Sun
  1:30-2:15 pm
Oshkosh, WI Book signing in EAA Warehouse Author's Corner at 2008 EAA AirVenture [more]
8/3/08 Sun
  1-1:15 pm
Oshkosh, WI Book signing in EAA AirVenture Museum Author's Corner at 2008 EAA AirVenture (additional date)
8/3/08 Sun
  11:30 am - 12:45 pm
Oshkosh, WI Presentation about SS1 in EAA AirVenture Museum under SS1 replica at 2008 EAA AirVenture (additional date)
8/3/08 Sun
  8-10:30 am
Oshkosh, WI Book signing in EAA Warehouse Author's Corner at 2008 EAA AirVenture [more]
8/2/08 Sat
  4-7 pm
Oshkosh, WI Book signing in EAA Warehouse Author's Corner at 2008 EAA AirVenture [more]
8/2/08 Sat
  2:30-3:30 pm
Oshkosh, WI Book signing in EAA AirVenture Museum Author's Corner at 2008 EAA AirVenture [more]
8/2/08 Sat
  1-2:15 pm
Oshkosh, WI Presentation about SS1 in EAA AirVenture Museum under SS1 replica at 2008 EAA AirVenture [more]
8/2/08 Sat
  9 am - 12 noon
Oshkosh, WI Book signing in EAA Warehouse Author's Corner at 2008 EAA AirVenture [more]
8/1/08 Fri
  4-7 pm
Oshkosh, WI Book signing in EAA Warehouse Author's Corner at 2008 EAA AirVenture [more]
8/1/08 Fri
  1-2:45 pm
Oshkosh, WI Book signing in EAA Warehouse Author's Corner at 2008 EAA AirVenture [more]
7/31/08 Thr
  2:30-3 pm
Oshkosh, WI Book signing in EAA AirVenture Museum Author's Corner at 2008 EAA AirVenture [more]
7/31/08 Thr
  1-2:15 pm
Oshkosh, WI Presentation about SS1 in EAA AirVenture Museum under SS1 replica at 2008 EAA AirVenture [more]
7/30/08 Wed
  2:30-5 pm
Oshkosh, WI Book signing in EAA AirVenture Museum Author's Corner at 2008 EAA AirVenture [more]
7/30/08 Wed
  1-2:15 pm
Oshkosh, WI Presentation about SS1 in EAA AirVenture Museum under SS1 replica at 2008 EAA AirVenture [more]
7/21/08 Mon
  2-3:30 pm
web & radio Live interview with David Livingston on "The Space Show" [more]
7/21/08 Mon
  2-2:30 am
web & radio Prerecorded interview with David Durica on "Sci-Fi Overdrive" [more]
7/19/08 Sat
  midnight - 12:30 am
web & radio Prerecorded interview with David Durica on "Sci-Fi Overdrive" [more]
6/25/08 Wed
  6:10-6:25 am
web & radio Live interview on "The Big Show," 96.9 FM, Brownwood, TX [more]
6/18/08 Wed
  11 pm - midnight
web & radio Live interview with Al Malmberg on "World of Aviation" [more]
6/16/08 Mon
  2-5 pm
Mojave, CA Book signing at Scaled Composites
6/15/08 Sun
  1-5 pm
Irvine, CA Presentation about SS1 and book signing for the Orange County Space Society cosponsored by the SoCal Science Cafe [more]
6/14/08 Sat
  5-7 pm
Oceanside, CA Presentation about SS1 and book signing at Barnes & Noble hosted by the SoCal Science Cafe [more]
6/14/08 Thr
  11 am - 1 pm
Pasadena, CA Book signing at Barnes & Noble [more]
6/12/08 Thr
  7-9 pm
Pasadena, CA Book signing at Barnes & Noble hosted by the SoCal Science Cafe [more]
6/11/08 Wed
  7-9 pm
Palmdale, CA Book signing at Barnes & Noble hosted by the SoCal Science Cafe [more]
6/11/08 Wed
  2-4 pm
Mojave, CA Book signing at Scaled Composites
6/10/08 Tue
  8-9 am
web & radio Live interview with John Munson on Wisconsin Public Radio [more]
6/7/08 Sat
  3-4 pm
web & radio Live interview with Dr. Michio Kaku on "Science Fantastic" [more]
6/1/08 Sun
  9-11:30 am
Washington, DC Book signing at the International Space Development Conference (ISDC) [more]
6/1/08 Sun
  12-2 pm
Washington, DC Book signing at the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum [more]
5/31/08 Sat
  4-7 pm
Washington, DC Book signing at the International Space Development Conference (ISDC) [more]
5/31/08 Sat
  11 am - 1 pm
Washington, DC Book signing at the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum [more]
5/30/08 Fri
  6-7:30 pm
Washington, DC Book signing at the International Space Development Conference (ISDC) [more]
5/30/08 Fri
  1-3 pm
Washington, DC Book signing at the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum [more]
5/29/08 Thr
  6-7 pm
Washington, DC Book signing at the International Space Development Conference (ISDC) [more]

International Space Development Conference 2008
Presented annually by the National Space Society, the International Space Development Conference (ISDC) was the location of the very first book event for SpaceShipOne: An Illustrated History. ISDC gathers educational, commercial, and governmental leaders to discuss a vast array of space topics and was held from 5/29/08 to 6/1/08 in Washington, DC (photo by Marianne Dyson).

Book signing at the National Air and Space Museum
Reps from Elegant Resorts Russia, a Virgin Galactic accredited space agency, check out the book at a signing in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, with SpaceShipOne and the Spirit of St. Louis on display in the background.

N e w s [ Top ]
• "An Out-of-This-World Author" in the Journal & Courier (November 17, 2008) [more]
• "SpaceShipOne is a Blast" in The Salinas Californian (September 8, 2008)
• Book reviewed in Ad Astra (Fall 2008) [more]
• "Spaceship One: Monterey Resident Writes Illustrated History of First Commercial Space Flight" in The Monterey County Herald (July 30, 2008)
• "Magic in the Mojave" in Air & Space/Smithsonian magazine (Aug/Sep 2008) [more]
• Eight-page excerpt in Launch Magazine (Jul/Aug 2008) [more]
• "Higher Plane" in the Monterey County Weekly (Jul 03-09, 2008) [more]
• Book previewed in Plane & Pilot magazine (Jul 2008)
• Book previewed in EAA Sport Aviation magazine (Jul 2008)
SpaceShipOne: An Illustrated History becomes a best seller for Zenith Press, MBI Publishing Company, and Quayside Publishing Group
• "What's it Like to Fly a Rocket" in Go Flying! magazine (Jul/Aug 2008)
• Book review by the Coalition for Space Exploration [more]
• "Review: SpaceShipOne: An Illustrated History" in The Space Review [more]
• "Book Review: SpaceShipOne" for the National Space Society [more]
• "Science forum expands into North County" in North County Times [more]
• "Spaceship's Biography" in Antelope Valley Press (6/10/08)
SpaceShipOne hits in top 5 of "Hot New Releases in Books" on Amazon in three categories—"Science: Aeronautics & Astronautics," "Nonfiction: Aviation," and "History: Transportation"—on 6/8/08
• "SpaceShipOne Book Looks Behind the Locked Hangar Door" in Wired Science [more]
• "SpaceShipOne: An Illustrated History" in Starship Modeler [more]
• "SpaceShipOne Tales Told," a book review by Alan Boyle, makes front page of MSNBC.com on 6/3/08 [more]
• Book release on 5/15/08
SpaceShipOne: An Illustrated History hits the #1 best-selling book ranking on Amazon in "Science: Aeronautics & Astronautics" category on 5/1/08 to 5/6/08 and in "Nonfiction: Aviation" on 5/2/08 to 5/6/08 (pre-sales)

F e a t u r e s [ Top ]
• foreword by Sir Arthur C. Clarke
• 200 photos and 20 diagrams
• thorough descriptions of how SpaceShipOne flies from the test pilots
• photos of SpaceShipOne and White Knight throughout construction, flight testing, and the Ansari X Prize competition
• cockpit photos identifying instruments and controls
• photo sequences, including the operation of SpaceShipOne's feather
• detailed transcript of communication between test pilot Brian Binnie and mission control during Ansari X Prize-winning spaceflight
• missions patches from Scaled Composites for their rocket-powered flights and spaceflights
• coverage of the Ansari X Prize, the people behind the prize, and the competitors
• extensive interviews including SpaceShipOne designer Burt Rutan; SpaceShipOne financier Paul Allen; test pilots Mike Melvill, Brian Binnie, Pete Siebold, and Doug Shane; X Prize Foundation members Peter Diamandis, Anousheh Ansari, and Erik Lindbergh; and many others
• and much more . . .

SpaceShipOne wins $10 million Ansari X Prize
Anousheh Ansari, Amir Ansari, Peter Diamandis, Paul Allen, Brian Binnie, Burt Rutan, and Sir Richard Branson (left to right) celebrate with the thousands gathered to watch SpaceShipOne win the $10 million Ansari X Prize (photo by Dan Linehan).

C o n t e n t s [ Top ]

Acknowledgments
Foreword: "Enter Citizen Astronauts" by Sir Arthur C. Clarke

Chapter 1: A Secret Space Program
Chapter 2: The Ansari X Prize Blasts Off
Chapter 3: Flying the Spaceflight Mission
Chapter 4: SpaceShipOne Construction
Chapter 5: SpaceShipOne Rocket-Engine Design
Chapter 6: SpaceShipOne Instruments and Controls
Chapter 7: Test Flights Begin
Chapter 8: Rockets Ignite
Chapter 9: Capturing the Ansari X Prize
Chapter 10: Science Fiction to Science Fact

Appendix A: SpaceShipOne Flight Data
Appendix B: Chase Plane Crews
Bibliography
Index


S e a r c h   I n s i d e [ Top ]

← click here for Amazon's "Search Inside"

L i n k s [ Top ]
Aviation photographer Tyson V. Rininger
EAA AirVenture Museum - SpaceShipOne replica
MBI Publishing Company
National Air and Space Museum - SpaceShipOne on display
New Horizons space probe - en route to Pluto with a piece of SpaceShipOne
Scaled Composites
Virgin Galactic
Vulcan Inc.
X Prize Cup
X Prize Foundation
Zenith Press


Copyright © 2005-2019 by Dan Linehan. All rights reserved.