Airgas, Inc. Monday offered congratulations to its customer, Scaled Composites, LLC of Mojave, CA, for its part in the world’s first private manned space flight on June 21, 2004. Airgas provided nitrous oxide used in the propulsion and other industrial and specialty gases used in the design of the rocket.
SpaceShipOne, built by Scaled Composites in conjunction with Paul G. Allen, was the first non-governmental flight to leave the Earth’s atmosphere. The aircraft reached a record-breaking altitude of 328,491 feet (approximately 62 miles or 100 km) over the Mojave desert.
SpaceShipOne’s hybrid motor relied on nitrous oxide as an oxidizer and hydroxy-terminated polybutadiene, a form of rubber, as the fuel.
According to Scaled Composites, the company selected nitrous oxide for oxidation, instead of the industry standard of liquid oxygen, since it eliminated the need for complicated turbo pumps or plumbing to move the oxidizer into the oxidizer tank.
“Burt Rutan and his team at Scaled Composites have completed one of the most exciting and challenging activities taking place in the fields of aviation and aerospace, and it is an honor to be part of it,” said Martin Tupman, vice president and general manager of Airgas Nitrous Oxide.
“As the leading manufacturer of nitrous oxide in the U.S., we are excited to see this use of our product in this historic event.”
In addition to the nitrous oxide used in the SpaceShipOne flight, Airgas also provided Scaled Composites with industrial and specialty gases, including air, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and UHP Nitrogen, along with gas regulators and fittings for managing the gas supply.
“We are proud to have supported Scaled Composites as they launched the dawn of a new space age,” said Bob Morgan, account manager with Airgas West based in Riverside, CA, who served Scaled Composites. Airgas West is one of 12 regional companies that make up Airgas nationwide.
“We look forward to continuing to work with all the people at Scaled Composites as they take aerospace to new heights.”
