Thousands of space enthusiasts from Connecticut to California braved a brutally early desert morning Monday, all seeking to catch an up-close glimpse of history as the first privately manned spaceship rocketed through the Earth’s atmosphere above Mojave… 

     An estimated 200,000 people — many with coffee and binoculars in hand  crowded several Mojave Airport runways while straining to see SpaceShipOne’s historic 6:45 a.m. takeoff. It was a truly monumental event, some said.
    “This has been a long time coming,” said Bob Engsdrom, a 55-year-old pilot from Arizona who works for the company that provided emergency parachutes for SpaceShipOne. “I rank it right along with the Wright brothers. I wouldn’t have missed this for anything.”
    As the sleekly futuristic White Knight airplane shot down the runway, SpaceShipOne with 63-year-old pilot Mike Melvill slung underneath, the crowd erupted with applause, many scouring to find a good vantage point from which to take a memorable photo.
    Shielding their eyes from the sun, those in attendance struggled to trace the vehicle as it lifted from the tarmac and began its 62-mile ascent into sub-orbital space.
    Self-proclaimed space zealots refused to let the sun or the early flight time spoil their enthusiasm, however, cheering loudly whenever a new altitude announcement echoed from the loudspeaker.
    The highly publicized launch attracted space-lovers from all over the United States, many armed with signs and T-shirts proclaiming their passion for Burt Rutan’s latest audacious aeronautic endeavor.
    “We’re here to see history in the making,” said Leo Schepis, who along with his wife, Pamela, made the four-day trek from Canton, Ohio, to see the launch firsthand. “Our trip was well worth it.”
    For many of the older space junkies in attendance, the launch sparked a nostalgic reminder of a childhood love affair with space travel.

More on this story at The Signals website!!