9 seconds to Mach 1

Exactly 100 years after the Wright Brothers made their 12-second flight, SpaceShipOne lit its rocket motor for the first time. 9 seconds later, it broke the sound barrier, and 6 seconds after that, when the rocket was shut down, it was at Mach 1.2 , and climbing to over 20,000 metres.
This has to be the first time that any first powered flight of an aircraft broke the sound barrier, and augers well for the Rutan team being the ones to claim the X-prize.

All I can say is "Bloody Hell!" Oh yes, and sincerest congratulations.