SS2 faces major design decisions

[AndyMc]

http://www.flightinternational.com/Articles/2005/11/15/Navigation/200/202884/SS2+faces+major+design+decisions.html

Quote: SpaceShipTwo will have redesigned wing and engine, but Virgin seeks solutions to flutter and g loading

There's some way to go yet.

[CuddlyRocket]

The headline seems a bit off.  Major design decisions are where you have a choice and have to pick one. This article is about achieving certain neccessary design criteria, and it says that design work is almost finished.

It's good to see that NASA is assisting in resolving the problems. That is the proper function of a Government agency in relation to the private sector.

As Alex Tai still expects test flights in 2007, there doesn't appear to be any show stoppers here. After following spaceflight for four decades, I still can hardly believe that we will soon have a commercial entity taking members of the public into space (even if sub-orbital). It seems to have come almost out of nowhere!

Now if only I could afford a ticket! What happened to all those lotteries mooted?

[NASA_Twix_JSC]

They'll be lucky to try and reduce the G loading for their passengers. It won't be like it'll be presented in the adverts they're bound to be showing sometimes soon!

[gladiator1332]

Awhile back there was announcement that SS2 would be carried by the same aircraft T/Space will use for the CXV, the VLA. However, now we see that Scaled has a White Knight 2 in the works. Do you think the VLA and WK2 are the same aircraft? When we hear WK2, we think of an upscale of the original WK, however, if the VLA design is used, we could get something much different from the original WK.

http://www.transformspace.com/media_gallery/media/sized_VLA2_Above_Left.jpg