Other than going up and comming down, explain the similarities between Sheppard's flight and SS1's? Wasn't Sheppard's in a capsule that landed in the ocean? I see more similarities in configuration to the shuttle than to a capsule.Actually, NASA did what Rutan did today, way back in around 1960. They shot Alan Sheperd up into space and straight back down again into the ocean. The difference in these feats really, was that the U.S. government and NASA had a blank check to underwrite the effort on the 60's. Today's success was done as a private venture, and that's what's remarkable, IMO