Author Topic: Virgin Galactic: General discussion (2)  (Read 164819 times)

Online MP99

Re: Virgin Galactic: General discussion (2)
« Reply #20 on: 01/26/2014 10:11 am »
Figuring the time to get in and out of your seats, hybrids performance cutting zero G from 6 to 4 minutes isn't a minor thing. I wouldn't be too happy to find that out the day before my $250,000 flight. I can see why they'd upgrade the engines.

Where does the 6->4 minute thing come from?

Cheers, Martin

Offline Nomadd

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Re: Virgin Galactic: General discussion (2)
« Reply #21 on: 01/26/2014 12:47 pm »
Figuring the time to get in and out of your seats, hybrids performance cutting zero G from 6 to 4 minutes isn't a minor thing. I wouldn't be too happy to find that out the day before my $250,000 flight. I can see why they'd upgrade the engines.

Where does the 6->4 minute thing come from?

Cheers, Martin
I've just been hearing 4 minutes tossed around lately when the original number was 6.
Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who couldn't hear the music.

Offline Nomadd

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Re: Virgin Galactic: General discussion (2)
« Reply #22 on: 01/26/2014 12:49 pm »
 This article doesn't say much and maybe somebody else can tell more about the engine by the photo, but just a reminder that Virgin is working on an orbital rocket to be launched from WK2, and testing engines doesn't have to mean testing alternate SS2 engines.
http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/awx_01_23_2014_p0-657387.xml
Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who couldn't hear the music.

Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: Virgin Galactic: General discussion (2)
« Reply #23 on: 01/26/2014 09:40 pm »
Jeff Foust posts a good summary, and some critical analysis, of Tom Bowers article: http://www.newspacejournal.com/2014/01/26/new-branson-bio-examines-delays-and-other-problems-with-virgin-galactic/

Offline docmordrid

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Re: Virgin Galactic: General discussion (2)
« Reply #24 on: 01/26/2014 10:50 pm »
Key Phrase:

"However, when you see errors in the material you know about, you wonder about the accuracy of the material you don’t know. "
DM

Online catdlr

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Re: Virgin Galactic: General discussion (2)
« Reply #25 on: 10/15/2014 06:12 pm »
Virgin Galactic - Behind the Hangar Doors

Published on Oct 15, 2014
On October 4th 2014 Virgin Galactic celebrated the anniversary of the Ansari X-Prize victory by inviting special guests for a 'Behind the Hangar Doors' tour

Tony De La Rosa, ...I'm no Feline Dealer!! I move mountains.  but I'm better known for "I think it's highly sexual." Japanese to English Translation.

Offline Star One

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Re: Virgin Galactic: General discussion (2)
« Reply #26 on: 08/07/2015 06:09 pm »
Scaled Composites has now been more closely integrated into its parent company Northrop Grumman.

Quote
Northrop Grumman has announced a major shakeup of its aerospace systems business, with its rapid prototyping arm Scaled Composites realigning under a newly formed “research, technology and advanced design organisation”.

Scaled has always operated with a degree of autonomy since being acquired by Northrop in 2007, but with its legendary founder Burt Rutan now in retirement and new opportunities like the US Air Force T-X next-generation trainer on the horizon, it will now be more tightly integrated than ever as part of Northrop’s new advanced research arm.

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/northrop-realigns-scaled-composites-under-advanced-research-415484/

Offline HMXHMX

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Re: Virgin Galactic: General discussion (2)
« Reply #27 on: 08/07/2015 06:39 pm »
Scaled Composites has now been more closely integrated into its parent company Northrop Grumman.

Quote
Northrop Grumman has announced a major shakeup of its aerospace systems business, with its rapid prototyping arm Scaled Composites realigning under a newly formed “research, technology and advanced design organisation”.

Scaled has always operated with a degree of autonomy since being acquired by Northrop in 2007, but with its legendary founder Burt Rutan now in retirement and new opportunities like the US Air Force T-X next-generation trainer on the horizon, it will now be more tightly integrated than ever as part of Northrop’s new advanced research arm.

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/northrop-realigns-scaled-composites-under-advanced-research-415484/

End of an era...

Offline Lar

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Re: Virgin Galactic: General discussion (2)
« Reply #28 on: 03/01/2016 08:09 pm »
This may be of interest to folks

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=39706.msg1498254#msg1498254 ... thread about interviews with XCOR and VG pilots
"I think it would be great to be born on Earth and to die on Mars. Just hopefully not at the point of impact." -Elon Musk
"We're a little bit like the dog who caught the bus" - Musk after CRS-8 S1 successfully landed on ASDS OCISLY

Online Eric Hedman

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Re: Virgin Galactic: General discussion (2)
« Reply #29 on: 03/25/2016 01:58 pm »
It looks like Richard Branson and Virgin Galactic are possibly branching out into helping to develop an SST "mini-Concorde":

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3507765/Sir-Richard-Branson-set-usher-new-era-affordable-supersonic-flights-mini-Concorde.html

R&D possibly through Virgin Galactic and manufacturing through The Spaceship Company.

Online Eric Hedman

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Re: Virgin Galactic: General discussion (2)
« Reply #30 on: 03/25/2016 02:05 pm »
If this idea works for Richard Branson, it makes the idea of using suborbital vehicles for point to point travel even less plausible as a viable market.

Offline Star One

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Re: Virgin Galactic: General discussion (2)
« Reply #31 on: 03/25/2016 02:46 pm »
Supersonic jet startup vows 'affordable' travel – if you have $5,000 to spare

Sir Richard Branson says Virgin will partner with Boom to build and test plane to succeed where Concorde failed – ‘this lets you commute’ across oceans

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/mar/23/boom-supersonic-jet-travel-affordable-business-class

This is the key part from the article & tell us how much serious weight we should give it.

Quote
Scholl concedes that he still needs much more funding to get even the prototype into the air. So far Boom has attracted just $2m of investment from mostly Silicon Valley billionaires, but he said he has more investors lined up when he needs to tap fresh funds.

Online Arb

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Re: Virgin Galactic: General discussion (2)
« Reply #32 on: 03/25/2016 07:12 pm »
Makes sense. Branson tried to buy the Concord fleet after BA announced it was to be retired. They refused to sell.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concorde#Retirement

Offline Star One

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Re: Virgin Galactic: General discussion (2)
« Reply #33 on: 04/10/2016 05:29 pm »
New interview with Branson.

Branson: ‘Millions of people would love to become astronauts’

Eighteen months on from the fatal crash that left Richard Branson’s space tourism project in doubt, Virgin Galactic is back. We report from the unveiling of a new ship in the Mojave desert and talk to Branson

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/apr/10/virgin-galactic-richard-branson-interview

Offline Beittil

Re: Virgin Galactic: General discussion (2)
« Reply #34 on: 04/11/2016 01:38 pm »
"Virgin Galactic is planning another price increase for suborbital flights. Richard Branson said in an interview that the company will soon raise prices for suborbital tickets on SpaceShipTwo to $300,000 from $250,000. Branson didn't disclose the reason for the increase, but said prices would decrease later as the company built more vehicles and operated from more spaceports. Virgin increased ticket prices to $250,000 from $200,000 shortly after the first powered SpaceShipTwo flight in 2013. [The Observer]"

From my SpaceNews daily update today!

Imho this is just... 'teh f*ck?' Imho they need to start flying first (preferably without killing people) and then see where they are at. This is just a shameful attempt to put your failings on the customers wallet!

Offline notsorandom

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Re: Virgin Galactic: General discussion (2)
« Reply #35 on: 04/11/2016 01:50 pm »
Virgin Galactic has had plenty of time to be the only game in town. Blue Origin is catching up though. I wonder what a ticket on Blue's New Shepard will cost? If it is a lot lower VG could find themselves fielding an economically obsolete system. Raising the initial ticket price wouldn't be a very competitive thing to do.

Offline Star One

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Re: Virgin Galactic: General discussion (2)
« Reply #36 on: 04/11/2016 02:11 pm »
Virgin Galactic has had plenty of time to be the only game in town. Blue Origin is catching up though. I wonder what a ticket on Blue's New Shepard will cost? If it is a lot lower VG could find themselves fielding an economically obsolete system. Raising the initial ticket price wouldn't be a very competitive thing to do.

What's the betting they do special offers/competitions through Amazon for the average person to get tickets on BO.

Offline HammerD

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Re: Virgin Galactic: General discussion (2)
« Reply #37 on: 04/11/2016 02:19 pm »
Virgin Galactic has had plenty of time to be the only game in town. Blue Origin is catching up though. I wonder what a ticket on Blue's New Shepard will cost? If it is a lot lower VG could find themselves fielding an economically obsolete system. Raising the initial ticket price wouldn't be a very competitive thing to do.

What's the betting they do special offers/competitions through Amazon for the average person to get tickets on BO.

Yeah and you can bet the ticket prices will be competitive.  Bezos runs Amazon after all...the business is very agressive.  I wouldn't put it past him to try to undercut VG.  But that is competition ;)  Ultimately it is a good thing - for those that survive it.

Offline TrevorMonty

Re: Virgin Galactic: General discussion (2)
« Reply #38 on: 04/11/2016 03:20 pm »
I'd be surprised if VG sell many tickets at new price, given they have yet to fly to 60km, while the competition has been to 100km 4 times now.

I personally would wait for Blue. They have an operational vehicle with another 4-5 being built. Ticket queue maybe long but with 5 vehicles flying I wouldn't grow old waiting.

Even if (very big IF) VG start commercial flights at end of 2016 they will only have 2 vehicles. If anything happens to White Knight the whole operation is grounded.



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Online meekGee

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Re: Virgin Galactic: General discussion (2)
« Reply #39 on: 04/11/2016 04:13 pm »
Virgin Galactic has had plenty of time to be the only game in town. Blue Origin is catching up though. I wonder what a ticket on Blue's New Shepard will cost? If it is a lot lower VG could find themselves fielding an economically obsolete system. Raising the initial ticket price wouldn't be a very competitive thing to do.

What's the betting they do special offers/competitions through Amazon for the average person to get tickets on BO.

Yeah and you can bet the ticket prices will be competitive.  Bezos runs Amazon after all...the business is very agressive.  I wouldn't put it past him to try to undercut VG.  But that is competition ;)  Ultimately it is a good thing - for those that survive it.

With a truly reusable engine?  I am sure they will.   That hybrid is not a cheap item...
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