Discover Magazine points out another beautiful image from the HiRISE camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The images produced by this camera are evocative, stunning, and truly out-of-this world. I love the statement that the HiRISE instrument is his favorite camera in the solar system right now.

“SpaceShipOne”:http://www.scaled.com/projects/tierone/index.htm, along with pilot Mike Melvill, soared 100 km above the Earth’s surface today, marking the first time a privately-funded and built space craft carrying a human being entered into orbit. This marks the beginnings of commercial, manned space flight, just as the Wright brothers did just over 100 years ago with air flight.

I woke up early this morning (6:30 am :???:) just to see the launch. It was interesting how this craft takes off with the assistance of a plane (Knight One)—very slowly albeit—separates at 50,000 feet, and then engages its rocket for a single burn to reach about mach 3 and the edge of space. An interesting approach.

This is huge! Given the deadline of the Ansari X Prize in the next year, we should be seeing more such flights soon. And lately, to think, I’ve been more sceptical of anything like this in my lifetime. I like to have my scepticism proved wrong.

Check out more with this “Scaled Composites press release”:http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=14315.