Space Ship Two - General Thread

[MKremer]

Has to be a scale model - there's no hinged rear wing section attached to the tail booms. I'm surprised nobody has pointed that out so far.

[Robotbeat]

Okay, I admit defeat! (not that anyone necessarily cares)

It's a model.

[jabe]

getting closer to the drop tests..
scaled has flight test update.

Flight:    30   Date:    24 Jun 10
Flight Time:    2 hr
Pilot:    Siebold   CoPilot:    Alsbury
FTE:   Reeder

Objectives:
SS2 approach simulations
GF01 glide card practice
Crew proficiency and training

Results:
All objectives achieved. Multiple SS2 approaches flown to touchdown.

Flight:    29   Date:    24 Jun 10
Flight Time:    3.4 hr
Pilot:    Siebold   CoPilot:    Nichols
FTE:   Persall

Objectives:
SS2 release dry run
SS2 GF01 mission practice
SS2 approach practice
Crew proficiency and training

Results:
All objectives achieved. Multiple SS2 approaches flown to touchdown.

cheers
jb

[jabe]

they added two more flight updates

Flight:    32   Date:    1 Jul 10
Flight Time:    5.3 hr
Pilot:    Siebold   CoPilot:    Stucky
FTE:   Harvey

Objectives:
SS2 GF01 mission practice
SS2 approach practice
Crew proficiency and training

Results:
All objectives achieved. Multiple SS2 approaches flown.

Flight:    31   Date:    30 Jun 10
Flight Time:    5.3 hr
Pilot:    Stucky   CoPilot:    Siebold
FTE:   Agold

Objectives:
Payload ECS heat characterization
SS2 release dry run
SS2 GF01 mission practice
SS2 approach practice
Crew proficiency and training

Results:
All objectives achieved. Multiple SS2 approaches flown to touchdown.

[corrodedNut]

I think there's something going down...literally

Can anybody out there in MojaveLand see or here anything?

Twitter and rumors say WK2/SS2 are airborne, and "go for release"

Later:  Blast... no drop today, sorry for teasing

[Space Pete]

VSS Enterprise Makes First Crewed Flight.

15th July was a significant milestone for Scaled Composites as the team march towards the first solo flights of VSS  Enterprise (SpaceShipTwo).

For the first time VSS Enterprise flew with crew on board. As planned, the spaceship remained attached to VMS Eve (captive) for the duration of the flight and numerous combined vehicle systems tests were conducted. In addition and for the first time, the two crew members on board VSS Enterprise, evaluated all of the spaceship’s systems and functions from end to end in the air. Objectives achieved.

Congratulations to the whole team!

Mission Details:
– WhiteKnightTwo (VMS Eve) flight number 33
– SpaceShipTwo (VSS Enterprise) flight number three in captive carry configuration.
– Flight Time: 6 hours 12 minutes
– VMS Eve crew: Mark Stucky, Peter Kalogiannis, Brian Maisler
– VSS Enterprise crew: Peter Siebold, Michael Alsbury

www.virgingalactic.com/news/item/vss-enterprise-makes-its-first-crewed-flight

[8900]

Virgin Galactic spacecraft makes 1st crewed flight

Sat Jul 17, 2:15 am ET

MOJAVE, Calif. – A company working to send tourists on suborbital flights says it has tested its spacecraft with a crew for the first time.

Virgin Galactic says the craft remained attached to a specially designed airplane throughout a six-hour flight over California's Mojave desert Thursday.

On its website, the company congratulated the crew and said "Objectives achieved." It says the two crew members evaluated all of the spaceship's systems and functions.

Virgin Galactic says the flight test program will run through 2011 before it starts commercial operations.

[Owen]

Video: SpaceShipTwo’s First Crewed Flight on wierd.

[yg1968]

You can also find it on youtube, here:

!

[aquarius]

Virgin Galactic Spaceship's 1st Glide Test Could Occur This Fall

http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/virgin-galactic-spaceshiptwo-fall-test-flight-100720.html

[vt_hokie]

Wow, no glide tests until fall?  This flight test program seems to be proceeding rather slowly, actually.

[kevin-rf]

Wow, no glide tests until fall?  This flight test program seems to be proceeding rather slowly, actually.

Cough... 787 Cough Cough

[vt_hokie]

Wow, no glide tests until fall?  This flight test program seems to be proceeding rather slowly, actually.

Cough... 787 Cough Cough

Indeed, such programs always take longer than expected when new designs and new technology are involved - something we'd best keep in mind when faced with the unbridled enthusiasm of the commercial space folks and their revival of the "faster, cheaper, better" mantra!   

[kevin-rf]

then why are you complaining about SS-2's pace?

[vt_hokie]

then why are you complaining about SS-2's pace?

I'm just impatient and want to see the exciting stuff!    I shouldn't complain, but I do think that there was some bravado during the X-prize flights that sort of rubbed me the wrong way.  In particular, that "spaceshipone, government zero" poster struck me as ignorant, when in reality Scaled has benefited from years' worth of government sponsored research, and is applying the resulting technology toward a rather modest goal that cannot remotely be compared with, say, orbital spaceflight.

[HMXHMX]

then why are you complaining about SS-2's pace?

I'm just impatient and want to see the exciting stuff!    I shouldn't complain, but I do think that there was some bravado during the X-prize flights that sort of rubbed me the wrong way.  In particular, that "spaceshipone, government zero" poster struck me as ignorant, when in reality Scaled has benefited from years' worth of government sponsored research, and is applying the resulting technology toward a rather modest goal that cannot remotely be compared with, say, orbital spaceflight.

While all of us in the industry stand on the shoulders of giants, SpaceShipOne was one of those rare solutions that pretty much stood alone.

The structural approach derived from Burt's non-autoclave manufacturing skills, the propulsion was really derived from AMROC's former work, and the re-entry technique was totally novel.

That said, SSO had nothing to do with attaining orbital spaceflight.

[vt_hokie]

That said, SSO had nothing to do with attaining orbital spaceflight.

Of course, and I guess I shouldn't assume they were comparing their achievement with that.  But what was their criticism of government then, exactly?  I feel like there is a sort of libertarian faction that believes the key to space exploration is total privatization.  In reality, we're seeing that even building a suborbital amusement park ride isn't so quick and easy.  The pace of achievement in our government funded space program has been frustratingly slow, and there are many reasons for that, but I think it is disingenuous to imply that they have proven government programs to be inept or unnecessary.

[Danderman]

I feel like there is a sort of libertarian faction that believes the key to space exploration is total privatization.  In reality, we're seeing that even building a suborbital amusement park ride isn't so quick and easy. 

No one is saying that commercial space development will be quick or easy. What most people say that is government space development will always be slower, harder, and more expensive, given that everything must be built in the state of Alabama.

[Namechange User]

I feel like there is a sort of libertarian faction that believes the key to space exploration is total privatization.  In reality, we're seeing that even building a suborbital amusement park ride isn't so quick and easy. 

No one is saying that commercial space development will be quick or easy. What most people say that is government space development will always be slower, harder, and more expensive, given that everything must be built in the state of Alabama.

It seems the "quick and easy" is exactly what some have been trying to sell. 

As for being "built in Alabama" you mean like ULA?  Because nothing from government space development is actually "built in Alabama"

[Diagoras]

I feel like there is a sort of libertarian faction that believes the key to space exploration is total privatization.  In reality, we're seeing that even building a suborbital amusement park ride isn't so quick and easy. 

No one is saying that commercial space development will be quick or easy. What most people say that is government space development will always be slower, harder, and more expensive, given that everything must be built in the state of Alabama.

It seems the "quick and easy" is exactly what some have been trying to sell. 

As for being "built in Alabama" you mean like ULA?  Because nothing from government space development is actually "built in Alabama"

I think he's talking about the inferiority of centralized decision making vs. the market discovery process and the general vastly superior efficiency, resource allocation, etc. of private actors over government bureaucracies.

That's a pretty general assumption about capitalism. Though that in turn rests on other assumption that might not be true about the emerging space sector, and blah blah blah. But that's another issue altogether and one that's been done to death on this forum.

And I'm actually sympathetic to the anarcho-capitalist types that insist that total privatization is the answer. I don't agree with them, but I sure see where they're coming from.