The Wright Stuff: From Kitty Hawk to Mojave
One hundred years ago today, Wilbur & Orville Wright undertook humanity's first successful powered manned flight. (Actually, they made four flights that day.) They had better flying conditions than those at today's attempted reenactment.

President Bush addressed the commemoration today, praising the Wright Brothers' feat. He said: "By our skill and daring, America has excelled in every area of aviation and space travel. And our national commitment remains firm: By our skill and daring, we will continue to lead the world in flight."

The President did not make any specific announcement on the direction of national space policy, as was anticipated by earlier speculation. This was not really surprising since expectations were downplayed in the last few days by Washington sources, including the White House Press Secretary. While this non-happening is slightly disappointing, the White House space policy review is apparently still underway. Hopefully, the President and his policy makers understand the importance of opening space and its resources to national security, economic growth and a culture of life, and are taking the time to get the policy right.

While the government continues its space policy development, the private sector moved ahead and made history today. Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites carried out the first flight of a manned vehicle designed and built without government funding to exceed the speed of sound. It was the first rocket-powered flight of SpaceShipOne (SS1), the company's vehicle undergoing testing for eventual suborbital spaceflight. (Look at this awesome image!) Scaled and several other contestants are aiming to attempt suborbital flight next year in order to win the X-Prize. The Wright Brothers' entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well, and the second century of flight is off to a fast start.