Mike Melvill

Mike Melvill
Melvill receiving the first commercial astronaut wings
Commercial Astronaut
Nationality	South African / American
Born	Michael Winston Melvill (1940-11-30) November 30, 1940 Johannesburg, South Africa
Other occupation	Test pilot
Alma mater	Hilton College
Time in space	~10 mins
Selection	SpaceShipOne 2003
Missions	SpaceShipOne flight 15P, SpaceShipOne flight 16P

Michael Winston "Mike" Melvill (born November 30, 1940) is an Earthrounder and one of the test pilots for SpaceShipOne, the experimental spaceplane developed by Scaled Composites. Melvill piloted SpaceShipOne on its first flight past the edge of space, flight 15P on June 21, 2004, thus becoming the first commercial astronaut and the 434th person to go into space. He was also the pilot on SpaceShipOne's flight 16P, the first competitive flight in the Ansari X Prize competition.

Test pilot

Melvill met Burt Rutan when he showed Rutan the Rutan VariViggen he had built at his home.

Awards & achievements

File:MikeandScottC01.jpg

The first "Commercial Astronaut" Michael Winston "Mike" Melvill, reviews the first private space flight with Scott Crossfield

Melvill is the sole or joint holder of nine FAI aviation world records in various categories.

Melvill was the pilot for SpaceShipOne flight 15P, SpaceShipOne's first spaceflight and the first privately funded human spaceflight mission to reach space, on the morning of June 21, 2004.

External links

• Biography at Scaled Composites http://www.scaled.com/projects/tierone/pilots/michael_w._melvill
• Sport Aviation article by Melvill describing his round-the-world trip
• "First private space pilot 'ready to go'", msnbc, Alan Boyle, 6/21/2004, accessdate August 2, 2010