Author: Dan Linehan
Foreword by: Sir Arthur C. Clarke

RRP: £12.99, Hardback, 160 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0-7603-3188-0
Publisher: MBI Publishing Company
Pub Date: Out Now!

Truly the ‘final frontier’: first and exclusive comprehensive look at commercial spaceflight.

In April of 2003, a company called Scaled Composites lifted the veil of secrecy from a longtime research programme and introduced SpaceShipOne to the world, igniting the launch of space travel. “While five hundred people have been to space, only three have actually flown themselves there”, says Brian Binnie, SpaceShipOne test pilot and astronaut. SpaceShipOne An Illustrated History, provides a fascinating insight in to the world of commercial space travel and the individuals who made air and space history.

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. Author Dan Linehan, who was there at the launch, lets readers in on the drama and details behind the making of spaceships that will take twenty-first-century tourists to the final frontier.

The book chronicles the development of the world’s first commercial manned space programme–a programme that includes an airborne launcher (the White Knight), a space ship (SpaceShipOne), rocket propulsion, avionics, simulator, and full ground support. With ample illustrations, 230 photographs and behind-the-scenes information, SpaceShipOne provides the full picture of this classified project. From the conception and design, to the deals that brought together Scaled Composites’ Burt Rutan and Virgin Airlines’ Sir Richard Branson and the plans to build a fleet of commercial suborbital spaceships.

About the Author

In 2004, Dan Linehan attended the launch of SpaceShipOne when it captured the X Prize. He has written numerous articles about aviation and space for periodicals like Pacific Flyer and In Flight USA. Linehan was the editor and principle feature writer for the California International Airshow’s event program in 2003–2005. He has a background in physics and engineering and lives in California.