Smithsonian gets SpaceShipOne

WASHINGTON – SpaceShip-One, the first privately built vehicle to reach space, will join the collection of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.

The museum said Thursday that the space vehicle is being donated by Paul G. Allen, the Microsoft co-founder who funded the space ship.

SpaceShipOne is expected to arrive at the museum in downtown Washington in late summer and be displayed in the Milestones of Flight Gallery, near Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis and Chuck Yeager’s Bell X-1.

Last fall, SpaceShipOne became the first privately owned and operated spacecraft to exceed an altitude of 62 miles twice within a period of 14 days.

That feat won the $10 million Ansari X-Prize, designed to encourage development of space tourism.