Space Tourism … and Much More
Some interesting activity today in Mojave:
I’ll update this page if hear anything more.
Credit: Twentieth Century Fox
I was awaken early this morning by a great disturbance in the Force. It was as if hundreds of voices suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced by the sound of heads banging against walls.
If like me, you heard those blood-curdling sounds echoing across the Mojave Desert this morning, you probably knew instantly what had happened. Somewhere, somehow and for reasons known only to himself, Virgin Galactic Founder Richard Branson had made yet another very difficult to meet prediction for the start of SpaceShipTwo’s commercial flights.
Ah, just another day here in paradise.
Continue reading ‘Richard Branson’s Christmas Wish: A Flight into Space’
SpaceShipTwo burning rubber — literally. (Credit: Virgin Galactic)
While in Singapore for an environmental summit organized by the Carbon War Room charity he founded, Virgin Galactic Founder Richard Branson touted the environmental friendliness of his rubber burning SpaceShipTwo vehicle:
British billionaire Richard Branson today said that rocket-powered space tourism flights by his firm Virgin Galactic would have only a minor impact on climate change….
“We have reduced the (carbon emission) cost of somebody going into space from something like two weeks of New York’s electricity supply… To less than the cost of a economy round-trip from Singapore to London,” Branson told reporters in Singapore…..
“New technology can dramatically reduce the carbon output and that is the challenge we have set ourselves,” added Branson.
The SS2′s lightweight carbon-fibre body will also “reduce fuel burn dramatically”, he said.
Well, that’s interesting. Now, where to begin?
Continue reading ‘Branson Touts Environmentally Benign Rubber Burning Engine’
SpaceShipTwo in its first powered flight over Mojave.
By Douglas Messier
Parabolic Arc Managing Editor
Last week, I got to see close-up views of the power of the emerging suborbital space industry in two very different locations some 300 miles apart.
Monday was all about SpaceShipTwo, which lit its engine for the first time over the dusty Mojave Desert and provided viewers on the ground with a 16-second display of flames and black smoke. The little space plane soared skyward above its WhiteKnightTwo carrier plane before gliding to a perfect landing on the center line of Runway 30 at the Mojave Air and Space Port.
Continue reading ‘The Power of the Suborbital Experiments Market is Growing’
SpaceShipTwo in powered flight. (Credit: Virgin Galactic)
Virgin Galactic’s Steve Landeene is over at the Global Space and Satellite Forum in Abu Dhabi this week, where he talked about the company’s plans for a spaceport there. The highlights:
Aabar Investments, a company owned by the Abu Dhabi government, has put up most of the money for the development of SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo. Aabar has invested $490 million in Virgin Galactic and owns 37.8 percent of the company. The investment includes $390 million for an equity share in Virgin Galactic and $100 million to fund LauncherOne.
Read the full story.
Richard Branson and the employees who built SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo. (Photo credit: Mark Greenberg/Virgin Galactic)
MOJAVE, Calif. (VG PR) — If you have the passion to open commercial space travel to all, then Virgin Galactic and The Spaceship Company (TSC) want to hear from you. With open positions in production, engineering and more, TSC is looking for qualified applicants to build the Virgin Galactic fleet in Mojave, Calif. Virgin Galactic has technician and engineering openings, working at Spaceport America in New Mexico, as well as in Mojave and Pasadena, Calif.
Qualified applicants should visit the careers section of both companies’ websites – Virgin Galactic careers and The Spaceship Company careers – to learn about these opportunities and submit applications.
MOJAVE, Calif. (Virgin Galactic PR) – Virgin Galactic, the world’s first commercial spaceline, announced today that pilots Frederick “CJ” Sturckow and Michael “Sooch” Masucci have been selected to join its commercial flight team. As Virgin Galactic clears its final flight test program milestones with powered flight tests now under way, the necessary addition of new pilots will enable the company to meet the test schedule demands and prepare for subsequent commercial operations.
Continue reading ‘Virgin Galactic Hires NASA Space Shuttle Vet, Private Jet Pilot’
Credit: Ken Brown
A couple of brief notes on Monday’s SpaceShipTwo flight.
There was a public and press viewing site set up along the Mojave Air and Space Port’s flight line that a provided a great view of the flights of WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo. The airport did a good job in situating the viewing area and guiding visitors there so they could get a view of the test flight.
From what I have been hearing, things ran smoothly for both visitors and employees of companies who work at the spaceport. Flight test operations in Mojave require a great deal of support from General Manager Stu Witt and his staff. The test flight on Monday — which brought the public, press and VIPs to the airport — put an even greater burden on the staff. They performed well.
My only real criticism is that I wish the arrangements for the public and press had been better communicated in advance. The announcements were not very clear and left room for misinterpretation.
I’m partly to blame for some of the miscommunication. I took what I read and heard and then drew entirely wrong conclusions about how the press and public would be accommodated. Instead of taking the time to clarify the story as I should have, I ran with it and ended up causing more confusion. That wasn’t fair to the public or the airport.
I apologize for that. I will do better in the future.
Credit: Ken Brown
WhiteKnightTwo/SpaceShipTwo Flight Test Summary
Via Scaled Composites
| Flight: | 115/PF01 | ||||
| Date: | 29 Apr 13 | ||||
| SS 2 Flight Time: | 13 min | ||||
| SS2 Pilot: | Stucky | SS2 Co-pilot: | Alsbury | ||
| WK2 Pilot: | Mackay | WK2 Co-pilot: | Nichols | WK2 FTE: | Maisler |
| WK2 Flight Time: | 1.5 hours | ||||
| GS Crew: | Tighe, Shane, Bourgeois, Reid, Knupp, Bassett, Jaster, Bozarth, Gould, Colby, Zeeb, Morgan, Verderame, Keller, Cassebeer, Kalogiannis, Withrow, Kroese, Flynn | ||||
Objectives:
First powered flight
Launch weight expansion
Supersonic aero expansion (16 sec burn)
q structural expansion
Results:
Monday we “lit the candle” for the first time. SS2 control and handling was very positive during its first supersonic, rocket-powered flight. The motor operated as designed and provided a smooth but noticeable/ significant push through the sound barrier. The boost was terminated at the intended shutdown duration of 16 seconds. Trajectory was nominal with Mike & Mark topping out at 1.22 Mach and 56,200 feet. Post shutdown glide was nominal. The vehicle and the team performed as expected – excellent! We’d like to thank our team, our many vendors, and the support of Virgin for making today a possibility. The fun has only just begun!
Credit: Ken Brown
Largely lost among all the hoopla and excitement over SpaceShipTwo’s first powered flight, Virgin Galactic’s educational initiative, Virgin Unite, announced the release lesson plans and resources “pitched” at impressionable students ages 5-18:
Virgin Galactic and Galactic Unite announce the first of their lesson plans and resources!
These aim to engage and inspire educators and students around Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo test flight milestones. You can now download free lesson plans, activities and resources below, which are pitched at students aged 5-18. Teachers can use these to enhance technology and engineering lessons, as well as help develop aerospace career paths for students around the world. We hope this encourages many more fledgling rocket scientists out there to reach for the stars!
The material includes:
Learn more here.
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