Scientists on Reddit

Burt Rutan

Aerospace engineer who designed SpaceShipOne

u/Burt_Rutan ↗AMA only

How we know it's theirs

The 2016 r/science AMA, posted from this account

We retrieved 1 post and 121 comments from u/Burt_Rutan, all from 2016, most often in r/science.

Best moment

A redditor wrote in r/science

On “X-Prize AMA: I am Burt Rutan, designer of the world’s first private spaceship (SpaceShipOne), and the first aircraft to fly around the world without stopping or refueling (Voyager). AMA!”

Mr Rutan: R/C sailplane flier here...There's a story in the radio control sailplane community about you listening with some scepticism to a presentation about the speeds being attained through R/C dynamic soaring. The story goes that when you were given an actual demonstration…

u/Burt_Rutan replied

Read all of itShow less

True story. A world class RC DS guy came to scaled and gave a presentation. I stood up and called him a lier, with fake videos (a bit tongue-in-cheek for my employees :-) ). I then followed him to a special ridge line hill near palm springs, with a 45-knot wind blowing over the top. The experience was the most impressive thing I has seen in aviation (even thou I have flown at Mach 2.15 in the Phantom at 35kft and 820 Kt on the deck).

More moments

A redditor wrote in r/science

On “X-Prize AMA: I am Burt Rutan, designer of the world’s first private spaceship (SpaceShipOne), and the first aircraft to fly around the world without stopping or refueling (Voyager). AMA!”

Burt, I am an aerospace engineer for Northrop Grumman, and everyone I talk to here seems so excited to have your company be a part of us. I have two questions if you don't mind: 1) do you think we will see the glider style of spacecraft regain practical use anytime soon? I…

u/Burt_Rutan replied

My original concepts for SS1 were capsules, with high-drag devices for reentry (feathers). However, an employee reminded me that I was an airplane designer and that parachutes were inherently unreliable. My focus then led to the invention of the feathering config on ss1.

Excerpt

A redditor wrote in r/science

On “X-Prize AMA: I am Burt Rutan, designer of the world’s first private spaceship (SpaceShipOne), and the first aircraft to fly around the world without stopping or refueling (Voyager). AMA!”

What was the diciest flight you ever made?

u/Burt_Rutan replied

The flat spin in the F-4E at Edwards AFB, 1969. Piloted by Jerry Gentry, with me in the back seat. It remains the only flat spin in an F4 that was followed by a normal landing, not a fireball crash.

A redditor wrote in r/science

On “X-Prize AMA: I am Burt Rutan, designer of the world’s first private spaceship (SpaceShipOne), and the first aircraft to fly around the world without stopping or refueling (Voyager). AMA!”

Your airplane and space ship designs are the kinds of things that inspired me as a child and an adult. How is it that you've been able to come up with so many odd and innovative designs for so long? What continues to inspire you and drive you?

u/Burt_Rutan replied

There is nothing else to do in Mojave California. I lived in that small desert area for 46 years.