Live webchat with First Civilian Astronaut, Mike Melvill

[eaa_announcement]

Greetings!<br /> <br />I thought maybe your visitors might be interested in a special event this evening: www.youngeagles.org<br /><br />Mike will be our guest on this month's Young Eagles webchat, Wednesday, June 15 between 7 and 8 p.m. central time.<br /> <br />First Civilian Astronaut to Answer Your Questions<br />EAA Aviation Center - June 8, 2005 - He's flown fast and high before. But on June 21, 2004, Mike Melvill did something no one had ever done before - fly to space and back in the first commercially developed space plane.<br /> <br />On June 15, 2005, you'll be able to do something you've never done before, too. Chat live with the world's first civilian astronaut!<br /> <br />What is a webchat?<br />The Young Eagle Webchat is an opportunity for interesting people in aviation to answer your questions directly. The text-based chat is available on the third Wednesday of the month between 7 and 8 p.m. central time. Simply log in to the chat with your list of questions!<br /> <br />Meet Mike Melvill<br /> <br />On June 21, 2004, Michael W. Melvill piloted SpaceShipOne on its first flight past the edge of space and became the 433rd person to reach that outer limit. Two hours after the flight, he became the first civilian to receive commercial astronaut wings from the FAA, the Federal Aviation Administration. <br /> <br />Mike has been an experimental test pilot for more than 20 years, but flying SpaceShipOne to an altitude of more than 100 kilometers last year was, as he puts it, "a really good ride."<br /> <br />Mike also helped develop the docking system for SpaceShipOne, which will be at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh from July 25-31, along with its carrier aircraft, White Knight. It will be the only public appearance of SpaceShipOne and WhiteKnight, before SpaceShipOne is put on display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.<br /> <br />SpaceShipOne won the $10 million Ansari X Prize last fall by being the first

 

[arobie]

Thank you. I'm going to have to check that out tonight!<br />

 

[Leovinus]

I always thought that Neil Armstrong was a civilian astronaut. <br /><br />Edit: <br /><br /><i>Neil Alden Armstrong was born on August 5,1930 in Wapakoneta, Ohio. He holds a degree in aeronautical engineering from Purdue University and a masters degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Southern California. From 1949 to 1952, Armstrong was a naval aviator. <font color="yellow">Upon leaving military service, he became a test pilot.</font>While serving as a test pilot, he was chosen to be a member of the astronaut corps. Though he was on the backup crew of many previous flights, his first space flight occurred in 1966 aboard Gemini 8. During this flight, he and fellow astronaut David Scott successfully performed the first docking in space between two vehicles. In July of 1969, Neil Armstrong was the commander of Apollo 11, America's first attempt to land a manned vehicle on the Moon. On July 20, 1969 Commander Armstrong and fellow astronaut Edwin Aldrin successfully touched down on the lunar surface. As Armstrong became the first person to touch the Moon's surface, he spoke the unforgettable phrase, "That's one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind". He and Aldrin explored the Moon's surface for 2.5 hours. Armstrong was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of his accomplishments and his contributions to the space program.</i><br /><br />Text in yellow confirms what I thought: Neil Armstrong was a civilian astronaut. Not sure if he was the first or not. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[shuttle_rtf]

>I always thought that Neil Armstrong was a civilian astronaut. <<br /><br />Beat me too it. Exactly.