Author Topic: Space Ship Two - General Thread  (Read 763520 times)

Offline mr. mark

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Re: Space Ship Two - Updates
« Reply #300 on: 10/12/2010 02:22 am »
What is the maximum range for Spaceship 2 in it's present configuration. Say, if launched from Mojave could it land at say Palmdale airport several miles away? Maybe this could be a good test of point to point suborbital travel. How far can it fly from it's highest point?
« Last Edit: 10/12/2010 02:22 am by mr. mark »

Offline vt_hokie

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Re: Space Ship Two - Updates
« Reply #301 on: 10/12/2010 02:26 am »
I imagine that SS2 goes supersonic within a few seconds of engine ignition after release at 50k ft.  At what altitude will it go subsonic on the descent, and would the sonic boom be an issue on the ground? 

Offline Danderman

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Re: Space Ship Two - Updates
« Reply #302 on: 10/12/2010 03:06 am »
I imagine that SS2 goes supersonic within a few seconds of engine ignition after release at 50k ft.  At what altitude will it go subsonic on the descent, and would the sonic boom be an issue on the ground? 

I don't remember any sonic booms from SS1 on the way down, that might be a function of the altitude at which the little tiny vehicle was transitioning from supersonic, or it might be a function of the wing design.

Offline Alpha Control

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Antares/Cygnus ORB-D1 Wallops Island, VA Sept 2013 | STS-123 KSC, FL March 2008 | SpaceShipOne Mojave, CA June 2004

Offline neilh

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Re: Space Ship Two - Updates
« Reply #304 on: 10/12/2010 08:05 pm »
Some more details on the flight test program.

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?id=news/asd/2010/10/12/05.xml&headline=Flawless%20First%20Flight%20For%20SpaceShipTwo&channel=space



Interesting...

Apparently the next/fourth test phase, set to begin in early 2011, will have short mid-flight bursts from the new rocket motor.
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Offline astrobrian

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Re: Space Ship Two - Updates
« Reply #305 on: 10/12/2010 08:17 pm »
Interesting...

Apparently the next/fourth test phase, set to begin in early 2011, will have short mid-flight bursts from the new rocket motor.
Yeah, it sounds pretty much like how they ran things up for SS1

Offline neilh

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Re: Space Ship Two - Updates
« Reply #306 on: 10/13/2010 07:24 pm »
There's a statement on the glide flight from Burt Rutan on Virgin Galactic's Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Virgin-Galactic/51080213587

Also, a description from the test pilot:

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2010/10/test-pilot-describes-first-glide-flight-of-spaceshiptwo/
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Offline yg1968

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Re: Space Ship Two - Updates
« Reply #307 on: 10/14/2010 02:31 pm »
I don't think that this article has been linked before:
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1010/10ss2/


Offline savuporo

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Re: Space Ship Two - Updates
« Reply #308 on: 10/15/2010 05:43 am »
Quote
Because of a recent landing gear issue with Eve that is still being resolved, the Scaled team elected to fly the mother ship with the gear down and locked throughout the entire flight. This limited the release height to 45,000 feet, the approximate ceiling of the aircraft in the gear down configuration at the weight flown on Sunday.

This is quite .. strange.
Orion - the first and only manned not-too-deep-space craft

Offline corrodedNut

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Re: Space Ship Two - Updates
« Reply #309 on: 10/18/2010 07:48 pm »
Set your DVRs to record the National Geographic channel tonight, their documentary "Virgin Galactic: Will it Fly?" airs tonight at 10:00pm EST in the US.

Offline Alpha Control

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Re: Space Ship Two - Updates
« Reply #310 on: 10/18/2010 08:17 pm »
Set your DVRs to record the National Geographic channel tonight, their documentary "Virgin Galactic: Will it Fly?" airs tonight at 10:00pm EST in the US.

Thanks for the reminder!
Space launches attended:
Antares/Cygnus ORB-D1 Wallops Island, VA Sept 2013 | STS-123 KSC, FL March 2008 | SpaceShipOne Mojave, CA June 2004

Offline jabe

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Re: Space Ship Two - Updates
« Reply #311 on: 10/18/2010 08:55 pm »
mm any word on when it will be in Canada?  I don;t see it on the schedule for us great white North folks...
jb

Offline vt_hokie

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Re: Space Ship Two - Updates
« Reply #312 on: 10/19/2010 05:31 am »
It's neat to see some of the production/assembly footage!  Any word on the estimated structural life of SS2's composite airframe?  I wonder how many flights it's good for. 

Offline R.Simko

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Re: Space Ship Two - Updates
« Reply #313 on: 10/19/2010 12:48 pm »
Saw the documentary on "Will it Fly" last night.  Very well done, gave a nice history of the making of WK2 and SS2.  They also touched on the explosion and some of the problems encountered.  WK2 had some rudder control problems on the first flight, along with vibration on landing, due to one of the wheels. 

It was interesting that they built the crafts without any wind tunnel testing.  They showed people from Scaled making small modles of SS2 and throwing them off the roof.

Offline vt_hokie

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Re: Space Ship Two - Updates
« Reply #314 on: 10/19/2010 06:41 pm »
It was interesting that they built the crafts without any wind tunnel testing. 

Yeah, I was surprised too.  Is wind tunnel testing really that expensive?  Or are CFD models just that good these days?

Offline docmordrid

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Re: Space Ship Two - Updates
« Reply #315 on: 10/19/2010 08:19 pm »
Maybe it's a combination of both CFD and the team at Scaled being that good.
DM

Offline jabe

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Re: Space Ship Two - Updates
« Reply #316 on: 10/19/2010 08:41 pm »
so any predictions/guesses on when next flight will be?  Another glide test with higher "g" turns to extend flight envelop?
jb

Offline Celebrimbor

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Re: Space Ship Two - Updates
« Reply #317 on: 11/01/2010 06:51 am »
SpaceShipTwo flights are really picking up a head of steam!

Quote
Flight:   WK2 Flight 44 / GF02
Date:    28 Oct 10   Flight Time:    10 min, 51 sec
WK2 Pilot:   Siebold   WK2 CoPilot:   Nichols   WK2 FTE:   Tighe
SS2 Pilot:   Stucky   SS2 CoPilot:   Alsbury
GS Crew:   Binnie, Kalogiannis, Persall, Knupp, Inks, Bassett, Cassebeer, Story, Y. Fuchs, Maisler, Verderame, Kelley

Objectives:
Clean release
Evaluate stability and control
Expand flutter envelope
Roll evaluation
Land

Results:
All objectives achieved. Flew to more aggressive stall indication. Evaluated handling and stability through several maneuvers. Expanded envelope to 230 KEAS and 3g's. Roll evaluation. Full stop landing.

I wouldn't have thought it would be long before the first powered flight now. (Of course, I have no insider knowledge and only basing that on an uptick in flight rate...)
« Last Edit: 11/01/2010 06:51 am by Celebrimbor »

Offline beancounter

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Re: Space Ship Two - Updates
« Reply #318 on: 11/05/2010 06:38 am »
SS1 went through 7 glide flights before the first powered flight.  Now SS2 is a different bird however it seems to be performing very well even compared to SS1. 
Will the fact that this is going to be a commercial carrier change the test program?  Yes I think it will and so I think we'll see additional glide flights checking out fully all aspects of the vehicle and it's various systems.  They have to be super careful with this one and tick all the boxes.
Beancounter from DownUnder

Offline js117

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Re: Space Ship Two - Updates
« Reply #319 on: 11/07/2010 09:26 pm »

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