|
WASHINGTON – U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L.
Chao today pinned FAA Astronaut Wings on Virgin Galactic’s
SpaceShipTwo crewmembers, Test Pilots Mark “Forger” Stucky and
Fredrick “CJ” Sturckow. Last year’s historic spaceflight marked the
nation’s return to space on an American-made rocket, and paves the
way for future travel to space with commercial spaceflight
participants.
“We are entering a new and exciting frontier in our nation’s space
activities,” said Secretary Chao. “These wings represent a
remarkable achievement for these crewmembers and tell all Americans
that their access to the wonders of space may be within their
reach.”
On December 13, 2018, Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo, named the “VSS
Unity” was carried aloft by the WhiteNight Two carrier aircraft from
the Mojave, California Air and Space Port. With Stucky and Sturckow
onboard the VSS Unity, the WhiteNight Two gradually climbed to an
altitude of almost 40,000 feet where it released the spacecraft.
Stucky and Sturckow lit the engine and guided the VSS Unity 51.39
miles (271,340 feet) above the Earth and into space. The vehicle
returned from space and safely glided back to the spaceport, guided
by its pilots. The VSS Unity was manufactured in America by The
Spaceship Company, a California-based company owned by Virginia
Galactic and headquartered in the Mojave dessert.
Sir Richard Branson, the Founder of Virgin Group said, “The U.S.
leads the world both in the exploration of space and in creating the
conditions for a new space age, where it will operate alongside and
in partnership with the private sector. While today’s awards
ceremony is, of course, a proud moment for our wonderful pilots and
the whole Virgin Galactic team, it is also symbolic of an enabling
regulatory framework that allows for innovation while prioritizing
safety. It is this which has allowed us to pursue our dreams and
which will ultimately underpin our commercial success as we seek to
democratize space for the benefit of humankind.”
Stucky and Sturckow now become two of only four Americans to receive
FAA Astronaut Wings. In 2004, Scaled Composites was awarded the $10
million Ansari XPrize when it sent the reusable SpaceShipOne on two
successful FAA-licensed commercial spaceflights. The test pilots of
those flights, Mike Melvill and Brian Binnie, received their FAA
Astronaut Wings directly after the last flight of the vehicle on
Oct. 4, 2004.
The FAA is responsible for licensing, overseeing, and regulating all
U.S. commercial space transportation activities. Among the many FAA
requirements for Astronaut Wings is the requirement that the wings
are only to be awarded to crewmembers who fly beyond 50 statute
miles above the surface of the Earth on a launch vehicle licensed
(or permitted) by FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation. A
statute mile is one land-measured mile. To learn more about the FAA
commercial space transportation activities, including FAA Astronaut
Wings, visit: https://www.faa.gov/news/fact_sheets/news_story.cfm?newsId=19074. |
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
