Author Topic: Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)  (Read 258488 times)

Online FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« Reply #140 on: 02/24/2017 04:31 pm »
Quote
Take off! Today is 7th flight for VSS Unity #SpaceShipTwo, 226th for VMS Eve #WhiteKnightTwo

https://twitter.com/virgingalactic/status/835176665646931969

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Re: Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« Reply #141 on: 02/24/2017 05:44 pm »
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VSS Unity has just been released from WhiteKnightTwo to glide home. 3rd glide flight test for #SpaceShipTwo

https://twitter.com/virgingalactic/status/835190396649013249

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Smooth landing for VSS Unity. In #SpaceShipTwo: pilots Dave Mackay and CJ Sturckow.

https://twitter.com/virgingalactic/status/835192710545866752

Edit to add:

Quote
#WhiteKnightTwo has landed, completing today’s test. Crew today were pilots Todd Ericson & Kelly Latimer, flight test engr Dustin Mosher.

https://twitter.com/virgingalactic/status/835199087125225472
« Last Edit: 02/24/2017 06:02 pm by FutureSpaceTourist »

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Re: Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« Reply #142 on: 02/24/2017 05:58 pm »
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Just watched @virgingalactic Spaceship 2 land after test flight -beautiful aircraft :-)

https://twitter.com/profbriancox/status/835193931591782400

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Re: Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« Reply #143 on: 02/25/2017 04:49 am »
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Spaceship over the Sierras today on the way to glide flight. Pilots successfully flew higher airspeed test points. Photo: Todd Ericson.

https://twitter.com/gtwhitesides/status/835276494398087168

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Re: Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« Reply #144 on: 02/25/2017 06:25 pm »
space.com write-up of yesterday's glide test:

Quote
Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Aces 3rd Glide Test Flight http://dlvr.it/NTMzxh

https://twitter.com/spacedotcom/status/835567450217304064

Offline catdlr

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Re: Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« Reply #145 on: 03/02/2017 02:37 am »
VSS Unity Glide Flight 03 | 24 February 2017

Virgin Galactic

Published on Mar 1, 2017
Richard Branson stops by Mojave, CA with his friend Professor Brian Cox to witness VSS Unity Glide Flight 03 test flight, and share his thoughts about progress and innovation in our mission to open space access.



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Offline MATTBLAK

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Re: Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« Reply #146 on: 03/02/2017 02:40 am »
Hey, Richard: let Brian Cox fly on one of the first sub-orbital flights for one of his next BBC documentary series - it would educate people and give you excellent publicity in the same breath!
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Offline Padgett

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Re: Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« Reply #147 on: 03/02/2017 10:52 am »
Quote
Just watched @virgingalactic Spaceship 2 land after test flight -beautiful aircraft :-)

https://twitter.com/profbriancox/status/835193931591782400
Indeed, beautiful aircraft. When it's the launching date?

Offline MATTBLAK

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Re: Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« Reply #148 on: 03/02/2017 12:42 pm »
Not soon enough! :) :(
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Re: Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« Reply #149 on: 03/02/2017 03:46 pm »
Indeed, beautiful aircraft. When it's the launching date?

Welcome to the forum!

This post from a few months ago outlines the various test stages (but not dates) the programme has to go through.

VG appear to be hoping/expecting to get to powered flights later this year (I'm guessing summer at the earliest). So next year is the soonest paying passengers will be flying. If the flight tests are successful then (for now :) ) I stick with my earlier prediction (up thread) of being operational by the end of next year.
« Last Edit: 03/02/2017 03:50 pm by FutureSpaceTourist »

Offline catdlr

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Re: Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« Reply #150 on: 03/20/2017 09:04 pm »
Virgin Galactic VSS Unity First Glide (2016)

AIRBOYD

Published on Mar 20, 2017
Video Credit: ©Virgin Galactic http://www.virgingalactic.com



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Offline CameronD

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Re: Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« Reply #151 on: 03/21/2017 12:21 am »
Virgin Galactic VSS Unity First Glide (2016)

AIRBOYD

Published on Mar 20, 2017
Video Credit: ©Virgin Galactic http://www.virgingalactic.com

Something I hadn't noticed before:  I thought it was a yoke for a sec, but it seems the 'standard stick' used for SS1 has become an interesting-looking 'two-handed stick'.   I guess they're expecting pretty high aero loads?!?

Must be a real beast of a thing to fly.
« Last Edit: 03/21/2017 01:17 am by CameronD »
With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine - however, this is not necessarily a good idea. It is hard to be sure where they are
going to land, and it could be dangerous sitting under them as they fly overhead.

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Re: Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« Reply #152 on: 03/21/2017 01:16 am »
With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine - however, this is not necessarily a good idea. It is hard to be sure where they are
going to land, and it could be dangerous sitting under them as they fly overhead.

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Re: Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« Reply #153 on: 03/21/2017 06:13 am »
In other news, it seems Richard Branson has offered Stephen Hawking a ride..:

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3129334/stephen-hawking-planning-trip-to-space-after-being-offered-a-seat-on-virgin-galactic-flight/

The original offer was a decade ago (here's a BBC article from 2007: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6594821.stm). What's interesting is that he's still thinks he's well enough to go, presumanly in the next year or two.

Offline Sam Ho

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Re: Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« Reply #154 on: 03/21/2017 04:27 pm »
In other news, it seems Richard Branson has offered Stephen Hawking a ride..:

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3129334/stephen-hawking-planning-trip-to-space-after-being-offered-a-seat-on-virgin-galactic-flight/

The original offer was a decade ago (here's a BBC article from 2007: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6594821.stm). What's interesting is that he's still thinks he's well enough to go, presumanly in the next year or two.
The interview, on Good Morning Britain, is here on YouTube.  The comment about Virgin Galactic is at 9:08.   There's also a comment about TRAPPIST-1 at 7:57.


Offline Comga

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Re: Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« Reply #155 on: 03/21/2017 08:17 pm »
In other news, it seems Richard Branson has offered Stephen Hawking a ride..:

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3129334/stephen-hawking-planning-trip-to-space-after-being-offered-a-seat-on-virgin-galactic-flight/
In other news, it seems Richard Branson has offered Stephen Hawking a ride..:

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3129334/stephen-hawking-planning-trip-to-space-after-being-offered-a-seat-on-virgin-galactic-flight/

The original offer was a decade ago (here's a BBC article from 2007: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6594821.stm). What's interesting is that he's still thinks he's well enough to go, presumanly in the next year or two.

The real point is that after 14 years of working on Virgin Galactic flights, and a decade after offering Hawking a ride, somehow this is the big news from VG.  Still months away from the Von Karman line, as they have been for a very long time.  Still no schedule for passenger flights.  Still fiddling with that hybrid engine. 

When VG started, Falcon 1 was a preproduction model on a truck.  Now it's a close race as to who gets people to space first: VG at a dead stop or SpaceX at 7 km/sec.
What kind of wastrels would dump a perfectly good booster in the ocean after just one use?

Offline Star One

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Re: Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« Reply #156 on: 03/21/2017 10:23 pm »
In other news, it seems Richard Branson has offered Stephen Hawking a ride..:

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3129334/stephen-hawking-planning-trip-to-space-after-being-offered-a-seat-on-virgin-galactic-flight/
In other news, it seems Richard Branson has offered Stephen Hawking a ride..:

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3129334/stephen-hawking-planning-trip-to-space-after-being-offered-a-seat-on-virgin-galactic-flight/

The original offer was a decade ago (here's a BBC article from 2007: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6594821.stm). What's interesting is that he's still thinks he's well enough to go, presumanly in the next year or two.

The real point is that after 14 years of working on Virgin Galactic flights, and a decade after offering Hawking a ride, somehow this is the big news from VG.  Still months away from the Von Karman line, as they have been for a very long time.  Still no schedule for passenger flights.  Still fiddling with that hybrid engine. 

When VG started, Falcon 1 was a preproduction model on a truck.  Now it's a close race as to who gets people to space first: VG at a dead stop or SpaceX at 7 km/sec.

Why on earth are you comparing it to Space X, surely a more useful and far more accurate comparison is with Blue Origin and their current activities.

Offline QuantumG

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Re: Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« Reply #157 on: 03/22/2017 03:30 am »
Why on earth are you comparing it to Space X, surely a more useful and far more accurate comparison is with Blue Origin and their current activities.

I thought that was obvious... Getting people to orbit is absurdly harder than getting them to 100 km, and yet SpaceX may beat VG in doing just that. That's nuts, especially when you consider that VG started with a system that had already gotten a pilot to their goal.

Human spaceflight is basically just LARPing now.

Offline meekGee

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Re: Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« Reply #158 on: 03/22/2017 07:24 am »
Why on earth are you comparing it to Space X, surely a more useful and far more accurate comparison is with Blue Origin and their current activities.

I thought that was obvious... Getting people to orbit is absurdly harder than getting them to 100 km, and yet SpaceX may beat VG in doing just that. That's nuts, especially when you consider that VG started with a system that had already gotten a pilot to their goal.
Yes, the ironing is thick.

All the marketing in the world can't undo bad design choices.

They unveil, and announce, and partner, and are opening up this and that, and have an official vodka, and hotel chain, and have built a Spaceport, and have already redefined (twice) what space access even means...

Only one little thing is missing.

So in a way, they're 99% there...

---

This is not persevering in the face of hardship.  I'm a fan of that. If you fail, try try again.

Never give up, never surrender.

But there's something unique about the arrogance that this one particular company is radiating that's been pissing me off ever since I saw Burt Rutan dump all over Jeff Greason in Jeff's own hangar in the middle of an XCOR press event, and continues in the company's attitude towards the world through today. (Long after he's gone from its reincarnation)

It paints the entire industry in an unflattering color.

---

Woah.  That escalated quickly.  Time for bed...
« Last Edit: 03/22/2017 07:26 am by meekGee »
ABCD - Always Be Counting Down

Offline Star One

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Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« Reply #159 on: 03/22/2017 08:14 am »
Why on earth are you comparing it to Space X, surely a more useful and far more accurate comparison is with Blue Origin and their current activities.

I thought that was obvious... Getting people to orbit is absurdly harder than getting them to 100 km, and yet SpaceX may beat VG in doing just that. That's nuts, especially when you consider that VG started with a system that had already gotten a pilot to their goal.
Yes, the ironing is thick.

All the marketing in the world can't undo bad design choices.

They unveil, and announce, and partner, and are opening up this and that, and have an official vodka, and hotel chain, and have built a Spaceport, and have already redefined (twice) what space access even means...

Only one little thing is missing.

So in a way, they're 99% there...

---

This is not persevering in the face of hardship.  I'm a fan of that. If you fail, try try again.

Never give up, never surrender.

But there's something unique about the arrogance that this one particular company is radiating that's been pissing me off ever since I saw Burt Rutan dump all over Jeff Greason in Jeff's own hangar in the middle of an XCOR press event, and continues in the company's attitude towards the world through today. (Long after he's gone from its reincarnation)

It paints the entire industry in an unflattering color.

---

Woah.  That escalated quickly.  Time for bed...

Your point might have been better made had it not swiftly descended into some kind of personal rant against VG.
« Last Edit: 03/22/2017 08:15 am by Star One »

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