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His feet had touched the ground again, but South African Mike Melvill’s head was still high above the clouds.
Seeing the earth from the edge of space was “an amazing experience”, said the 63-year-old pilot It was more than a personal experience. Melvill and his rocket plane Space Ship One made history last Monday when it became the first private manned flight to reach space.
The spacecraft was carried by a jet until it reached a height of 14kilometers. Then it separated from the jet and continued its journey beyond the earth’s atmosphere. The craft reached space by traveling at three times the speed of sound.
On board, Mevill was able to see the earth. He also became weightless for about 3 minutes when the craft reached its highest altitude of 100 kilometers. He even opened a bag of colorful chocolate sweets to see if they would float around in the cockpit（驾驶员座舱） —— they did.
The successful flight brought the design team, led by famous American designer Burt Rutan, closer to winning the US10 million Ansari X Prize. The award will be given to the first privately funded（投资） spacecraft to send three people 100 kilometers above the earth. The spacecraft also has to land safely and repeat the achievement within two weeks.
This is to prove that the craft is reliable and has the ability to carry paying customers. “The flight opens a new chapter in history, putting space within the reach of ordinary citizens,” said Patti Smith, head of commercial space transportation at the US Federal Aviation Administration.
It’s hoped that this flight is the first step toward space tourism. Members of the public could pay US$20,000-100,000 for the chance to fly high above the earth’s atmosphere, float in zero gravity and take in the sights of space.