Author Topic: Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)  (Read 258469 times)

Offline Chris Bergin

Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« on: 01/20/2016 11:34 am »
Previous threads:

Thread 1:
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=13744.0

Thread 2:
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=35117.0

NSF content on SS2:
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/?s=SS2

Please stay on topic and be civil at all times.

---

Had to start this one again (for a third time) as this is not Parabolic Arc's comment section and people who have a problem with an article on that site should comment on that site, not use this site to attack it.
« Last Edit: 01/11/2018 03:41 pm by Chris Bergin »
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Offline Star One

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Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« Reply #1 on: 02/18/2016 09:03 pm »
Virgin Galactic will unveil its new spaceplane tomorrow

Quote
Tomorrow, private spaceflight company Virgin Galactic will unveil the newest version of SpaceShipTwo — the reusable spaceplane that will become the company's primary vehicle. The company has been without a main vehicle since October 2014, when a crash killed one test pilot and seriously injured another. After the accident, many journalists and industry experts expressed skepticism about Virgin Galactic’s reliability. This new vehicle could help the company stage their comeback.

Quote
Of course, that all depends on how well SpaceShipTwo performs. The new vehicle will be structurally identical to the one that was lost, but there will be more automation, Virgin Galactic has said. The design change is in response to the 2014 cash, which was partly due to pilot error. New failsafes have been added to prevent such mistakes from happening in the future, the company has said, without explaining any specific details.

The first test flights of SpaceShipTwo will begin sometime this year, and that’s when the changes will be truly evaluated. Virgin Galactic has had trouble in testing before. Besides the 2014 crash, a rocket engine exploded in 2007 during testing, killing three people.

http://www.theverge.com/2016/2/18/11045184/virgin-galactic-spaceshiptwo-reusable-spaceplane-unveiling
« Last Edit: 02/18/2016 09:05 pm by Star One »

Offline yg1968

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Re: Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« Reply #2 on: 02/19/2016 01:00 am »
Virgin Galactic will unveil its new spaceplane tomorrow

Quote
The new vehicle will be structurally identical to the one that was lost, but there will be more automation, Virgin Galactic has said. The design change is in response to the 2014 cash, which was partly due to pilot error. New failsafes have been added to prevent such mistakes from happening in the future, the company has said, without explaining any specific details.

http://www.theverge.com/2016/2/18/11045184/virgin-galactic-spaceshiptwo-reusable-spaceplane-unveiling

I wish that it was all automated like Dream Chaser.

Offline Gliderflyer

Re: Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« Reply #3 on: 02/19/2016 01:19 am »
Does anyone know if the unveiling will be streamed online?
I tried it at home

Offline CameronD

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Re: Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« Reply #4 on: 02/19/2016 01:43 am »
Virgin Galactic will unveil its new spaceplane tomorrow

Quote
The new vehicle will be structurally identical to the one that was lost, but there will be more automation, Virgin Galactic has said. The design change is in response to the 2014 cash, which was partly due to pilot error. New failsafes have been added to prevent such mistakes from happening in the future, the company has said, without explaining any specific details.

http://www.theverge.com/2016/2/18/11045184/virgin-galactic-spaceshiptwo-reusable-spaceplane-unveiling

I wish that it was all automated like Dream Chaser.

The fluffy dice was a nice touch.. yes, if it was automated, it'd need the fluffy dice.
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.

Offline ChrisC

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Re: Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« Reply #5 on: 02/19/2016 01:54 am »

http://www.virgingalactic.com/what-spaceshiptwos-rollout-milestone-means-and-whats-next/

Quote
If you are expecting SpaceShipTwo to blast off and head straight to space on the day we unveil her, let us disillusion you now: this will be a ground-based celebration. Indeed, our new vehicle will remain on the ground for a while after her unveiling, as we run her through full-vehicle tests of her electrical systems and all of her moving parts.  ... Once that is done, we’ll be eager to get air under the wings of our new spaceship. We’ll begin first with captive carry flight, during which SpaceShipTwo stays firmly mated to her mothership, WhiteKnightTwo. Once that is completed, we’ll move to glide testing, where our new spaceship flies freely for the first time as a glider coming home from an altitude of 45,000+ feet (14 km) while our incredible pilots test out her handling. ... After several glide flights have been completed and we are satisfied with the results, rocket-powered test flights are next. We will execute a thoughtful and steady progression of flights. Each mission will be designed to test something important: how the heat from the rocket motor dissipates in the rear of the vehicle, how the vehicle behaves when breaking the sound barrier on both ascent and descent, how closely our models of forces on the vehicle match reality. ... Each flight will generally fly a little higher, a little faster, and sometimes we may need to repeat a test point to get additional data or confirm a result.

As far the unveil event, you might keep an eye on their Youtube account, and Twitter of course.
« Last Edit: 02/19/2016 01:56 am by ChrisC »
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Re: Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« Reply #7 on: 02/19/2016 02:37 pm »
Does anyone know if the unveiling will be streamed online?


have this on just in case.


http://original.livestream.com/virgingalactic
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Offline TruthIsStranger

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Offline Chris Bergin

Re: Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« Reply #9 on: 02/19/2016 05:49 pm »
Virgin Galactic ‏@virgingalactic  25m25 minutes ago
Today’s the day. We’ve been working hard on #SpaceShipTwo. Ready to meet her? Follow us here & on new Instagram acct http://www.instagram.com/virgingalactic/
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Offline Chris Bergin

Re: Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« Reply #10 on: 02/19/2016 09:19 pm »
Virgin Spaceship (VSS) Unity. Named by Prof. Hawking.
« Last Edit: 02/19/2016 09:21 pm by Chris Bergin »
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Offline Star One

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Re: Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« Reply #11 on: 02/19/2016 10:01 pm »
Quote
But one of the ship's key improvements will prevent another disaster like the November 2014 accident that killed pilot Michael Alsbury.
At the time, the National Transportation Safety Board concluded that Alsbury deployed a feathering re-entry system too early, and that Virgin Galactic hadn't planned ahead for such human errors. The new spaceplane has safeguards in place to make sure that doesn't happen again, and the company is emphasizing a renewed commitment to careful testing.

http://www.popsci.com/this-is-virgin-galactics-new-spaceplane-named-unity

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Re: Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« Reply #12 on: 02/19/2016 10:46 pm »
Sir Richard Branson Rolls Out New SpaceShipTwo ‘Unity’ | Raw Video

Published on Feb 19, 2016
Escorted by corporate sponsor Land Rover, Virgin Galactic unveiled its second spaceship on 19 February 2016. Espousing a passionate belief that tomorrow will be better than today’ and that space travel is a vital part of that future, Branson and his exec-team presented the craft in Virgin livery paint for the first time.

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Offline Chris Bergin

Re: Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« Reply #13 on: 02/19/2016 10:48 pm »
I never like re-writing press releases, but I've found a bit of an angle....one you'll understand when you see who I'm quoting! (I literally yelped when I saw his name on the quotes ;D) Give me a few hours :)
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Offline Prober

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Re: Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« Reply #14 on: 02/19/2016 11:30 pm »
so what's everyone's impression of SS2?

maybe a camera angle issue, but did they change the center of gravity on it?

 
« Last Edit: 02/20/2016 06:23 pm by Prober »
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Offline Lars-J

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Re: Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« Reply #15 on: 02/20/2016 12:02 am »
Branson riding the car pulling "Unity"... Ha, you've got to roll your eyes.  ;D

Offline sanman

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Re: Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« Reply #16 on: 02/20/2016 12:27 am »
At least there were no glamour girls parading with it.    ;D

The VSS Unity looks very snazzy though - very glossy, fiberglass look - like something you'd see for a new private jet.



I think there's glimpse of Star Wars actor Harrison Ford at the end of the clip.







« Last Edit: 02/20/2016 12:36 am by sanman »

Offline Chris Bergin

Re: Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« Reply #17 on: 02/20/2016 12:33 am »
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2016/02/moses-guide-vss-unity-her-north-star/

Focused on Mike Moses, as opposed to the fluff....because Mike Moses is a legend.
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Offline kevinof

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Re: Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« Reply #18 on: 02/20/2016 12:36 am »
Good article Chris. That's a good catch for them (having Moses on board).

Wish them luck.

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2016/02/moses-guide-vss-unity-her-north-star/

Focused on Mike Moses, as opposed to the fluff....because Mike Moses is a legend.

Offline yg1968

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Re: Space Ship Two - General Thread (3)
« Reply #19 on: 02/20/2016 02:18 am »
Here is another video:


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