NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe congratulated the
SpaceShipOne team on the second successful flight of a human on
a private spacecraft. Administrator O’Keefe was in the Mojave
Desert, Calif., today to watch SpaceShipOne pilot Mike Melvill
take off and safely land.
“Burt Rutan and Paul Allen and the rest of the team are great
examples of the kind of determination and creativity that is
helping America achieve its exploration goals,” Administrator
O’Keefe said. “We at NASA applaud their terrific achievement
today, as well as the spirit of competition behind the Ansari X
Prize.We wish Mike continued safe travels to space,” he said.
From the orbiting International Space Station, NASA astronaut
Mike Fincke took note of the SpaceShipOne flight. “Well, it was
nice that [cosmonaut] Gennady [Padalka] and I weren’t the only
two humans off the planet, even if it was only for a little
while,” he said during space-to-ground transmissions today.
“So, good job and congratulations to the SpaceShipOne team!”
Fincke’s comments are available on the NASA TV Video File
available on the Web and via satellite in the continental U.S.
on AMC-6, Transponder 9C, C-Band, at 72 degrees west longitude.
The frequency is 3880.0 MHz. Polarization is vertical, and
audio is monaural at 6.80 MHz. In Alaska and Hawaii, NASA TV is
available on AMC-7, Transponder 18C, C-Band, at 137 degrees
west longitude. The frequency is 4060.0 MHz. Polarization is
vertical, and audio is monaural at 6.80 MHz. For NASA TV
information and schedules on the Internet, visit:
For information about NASA’s exploration and discovery
programs, visit:
