Space Ship Two - General Thread

[mr. mark]

By the way, Just what is Virgin Galactic selling? The ride or the experience? What happens when Spaceship 2 has an early engine cutoff and doesn't achieve it's required altitude? Do customers get their money back?

[JBF]

By the way, Just what is Virgin Galactic selling? The ride or the experience? What happens when Spaceship 2 has an early engine cutoff and doesn't achieve it's required altitude? Do customers get their money back?

From the brochures they are selling the whole experience.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

From the brochures they are selling the whole experience.

That's true, but I vaguely remember reading a few years ago that Will Whitehorn or Stephen Attenborough said something along the lines that you are buying a ticket to space (ie above 100 km). I'd expect at least a second flight if that wasn't reached.

[yg1968]

An update:
http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_23098533/spaceship-tests-progressing-well-virgin-galactic-tells-spaceport

Jackson said an application for licensing of the spaceship-plane duo is expected to be submitted soon. "It starts with a policy review, and I believe that's already been submitted to the FAA," he said. "And now we're getting ready for the full licensure application process." The agency's review period of the application could take six months or longer, Jackson said.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

Monday's Spaceship 2 powered flight should be getting more press, especially in the space news community.

Alan Boyle has an article up now: http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/25/17917374-spaceshiptwo-could-go-supersonic-monday-billionaire-backer-says

It includes effective confirmation (from George Whitesides) that they intend to fly Monday but weather etc could still cause a delay.

Discovery have a similar piece: http://news.discovery.com/space/private-spaceflight/branson-says-spaceshiptwo-ready-to-break-sound-barrier-130424.htm

[Moe Grills]

It looks like the first powered SS2 flight will be Monday:

[Question] That’s your Virgin Galactic project. What’s ahead for that?

[Branson's Answer:] We’re hoping to break the sound barrier. That’s planned Monday. It will be a historic day. This is going to be Virgin Galactic’s year. We’ll break the sound barrier Monday and from there, we build up through the rest of the year, finally going into space near the end of the year. I’ll be on the first official flight, which we look to have in the first quarter of next year. We’re doing a number of test flights into space first.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2013/apr/23/virgin-atlantics-los-angeles--las-vegas-flight-isn/#ixzz2RKtsmSvU

Notice no mention of live TV or streaming video coverage.
I don't think SC will have any until Sir Richard himself becomes a passenger, months and months from now.

Also, I'm surprised by the boldness of the planned powered flight.
I was expecting a gradual increase of speed over several powered testflights; i.e., 0.7 Mach, 0.8 Mach, O.9 Mach, etc...

If you remember SS1, it took several powered test flights before it broke the sound barrier.

[Skyrocket]

If you remember SS1, it took several powered test flights before it broke the sound barrier.

That is not correct: SS1 reached Mach 1.2 on the first powered flight

[Moe Grills]

If you remember SS1, it took several powered test flights before it broke the sound barrier.

That is not correct: SS1 reached Mach 1.2 on the first powered flight

    There's a lesson for me here: never trust your memory after nearly 10 years.
 Dec/17/2003, right? You pulled up Wikipedia, didn't you? 

[Skyrocket]

If you remember SS1, it took several powered test flights before it broke the sound barrier.

That is not correct: SS1 reached Mach 1.2 on the first powered flight

    There's a lesson for me here: never trust your memory after nearly 10 years.
 Dec/17/2003, right? You pulled up Wikipedia, didn't you? 

Not Wikipedia, just my memory (and perhaps my extended public memory at http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau/spaceshipone.htm  )

[zaitcev]

Also, I'm surprised by the boldness of the planned powered flight.

There's a bit of that, but OTOH public was invited to attend the first space flight by SS1 (I was there and kept the ticket). I suppose it's the level of confidence in your IIP projections.

[Galactic Penguin SST]

An air-space closure notice has been out up at Mojave on the 29th:

!MHV 04/029 MHV SVC TWR CDAS WEF 1304291130-1304291359

So it seems that the first flight may well be in the pre-dawn hours (4:30 - 6:59 am PDT).

http://www.parabolicarc.com/2013/04/26/mhv-04029-mhv-svc-twr-cdas-wef-1304291130-1304291359/

[spectre9]

Awesome. 

I wish everybody who has worked to build SS2 the very best of luck. It's been an incredible development journey.

How high will they go?

Branson says they will break the sound barrier. Is that on the way up or down?

Supersonic reentry is the real test.

Who gets to fly? I wouldn't want to get in it at this stage that's for sure. I'd say there's an element of danger involved.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

How high will they go?

Branson says they will break the sound barrier. Is that on the way up or down?

The first powered SS1 flight (about a 10s burn) went to approx 67k feet. It too was supersonic, on the way up.

[yg1968]

Awesome. 

I wish everybody who has worked to build SS2 the very best of luck. It's been an incredible development journey.

How high will they go?

Branson says they will break the sound barrier. Is that on the way up or down?

Supersonic reentry is the real test.

Who gets to fly? I wouldn't want to get in it at this stage that's for sure. I'd say there's an element of danger involved.

Speaking of danger, there is no ejection seat on SS2. Right?

[FutureSpaceTourist]

Speaking of danger, there is no ejection seat on SS2. Right?

Correct. One of the windows can be removed as an emergency exit, but the pilots would have to get to it and clamber out for a parachute jump.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

Doug Messier reports on build-up in Mojave and a second NOTAM: http://www.parabolicarc.com/2013/04/27/excitement-building-in-mojave-for-first-spaceshiptwo-powered-flight/

!MHV 04/030 MHV Aerodrome AIRPORT Closed TO TRANSIENT Aircraft Except Pilot Permission Required 661-824-2433 EXPECT DELAYS Effective from 1304290100-1304301900 .

The times are UTC, so this means they’re limiting air traffic to the airport from Sunday at 6 p.m. to Tuesday at noon. That will give Scaled Composites an extra day if for some reason they don’t fly on Monday.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

From a Virgin Galactic employee:

@SpaceGurlEvie: Best of Luck to pilots David Mackay WK2 @virgingalactic & Mark Stucky SS2 Scaled Composites on 1st powered flight tomorrow. Safe Landing!

[docmordrid]

GodSpeed gentlemen, UP is GO!

[JAFO]

Good luck, Forger, you're a long way from flying hang gliders!

[Ben the Space Brit]

From a Virgin Galactic employee:

@SpaceGurlEvie: Best of Luck to pilots David Mackay WK2 @virgingalactic & Mark Stucky SS2 Scaled Composites on 1st powered flight tomorrow. Safe Landing!

Godspeed, people; May the wind always be at your backs!