The Wright brothers, Lindbergh, Yeager, Gagarin, Shepard, and Armstrong. Names that have historical signifigance in humanity's reach for the stars. As of today we add Melvill to this list. Mike Melvill, a 63 year-old South African became the first civilian individual to earn his astronaut wings on Monday, June 21st, 2004. Melvill piloted Scaled Composite's SpaceShipOne to an altitude of 100.12 kilometers (328,491 feet). Just 124 meters (408 feet) above what is recognized as the boundary between the Earth's atmosphere and space.
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Tags: Technology, Spaceflight