science

SpaceShipOne flight 14P

SpaceShipOne flight 14P is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand SpaceShipOne flight 14P rather than just read about it. In short: Flight 14P of SpaceShipOne was its third powered flight, which occurred on May 13, 2004. The pilot was Mike Melvill.

Key takeaways

SpaceShipOne flight 14P belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect SpaceShipOne flight 14P to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of SpaceShipOne flight 14P from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Flight 14P of SpaceShipOne was its third powered flight, which occurred on May 13, 2004. The pilot was Mike Melvill.

Details SpaceShipOne was released from White Knight at an altitude of 46,000 ft (14.0 km) and a speed of 120 knots (62 m/s). After ten seconds the rocket was lit, for a 55 second burn. At burn-out the altitude was 150,000 ft (45.7 km) and the Mach number was 2.5. The craft then coasted to an apogee altitude of 211,400 ft (64.4 km). At one point during the flight, the avionics computer froze up and had to be rebooted. Melvill flew the aircraft manually until the computer became operable again. During reentry, the craft attained Mach 1.9 and deceleration of 3.5 g (34 m/s²). The craft switched to glider configuration at 55,000 feet (17.4 km). The craft returned to the spaceport and landed safely.

External links SpaceShipOne video footage (RealVideo)

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with SpaceShipOne flight 14P

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what SpaceShipOne flight 14P claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to SpaceShipOne flight 14P before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about SpaceShipOne flight 14P ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of SpaceShipOne flight 14P

In research: SpaceShipOne flight 14P appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses SpaceShipOne flight 14P in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: SpaceShipOne flight 14P is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2004 in spaceflight, SpaceShipOne human spaceflights, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for SpaceShipOne flight 14P outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study SpaceShipOne flight 14P in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what SpaceShipOne flight 14P means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain SpaceShipOne flight 14P out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is SpaceShipOne flight 14P in simple terms?

Flight 14P of SpaceShipOne was its third powered flight, which occurred on May 13, 2004. The pilot was Mike Melvill.

Why does SpaceShipOne flight 14P matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study SpaceShipOne flight 14P?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on SpaceShipOne flight 14P.