Fwd: Virgin Galactic's SS2 spaceship heading for space in 2014

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From: "Gary Johnson" <gjohnson144@comcast.net>
Date: January 13, 2014 10:47:57 AM CST
To: "Gary Johnson" <gjohnson144@comcast.net>
Subject: FW: Virgin Galactic's SS2 spaceship heading for space in 2014

Virgin Galactic's SS2 spaceship heading for space in 2014

Las Cruces : NM : USA | Jan 13, 2014 at 1:53 AM PST

By Robert Myles

 

Virgin Galactic announced its SpaceShipTwo (SS2) prototype spacecraft had made its third rocket-powered supersonic flight high above the Mojave Desert in the eastern United States.

Virgin Galactic, describing itself as "the world's first commercial spaceline," plans to fly fare-paying passengers into space. The company said the SS2 had soared to a record 71,000 feet Friday.

The re-usable SS2 was carried aloft to an altitude of 46,000 feet by its carrier aircraft, the WhiteKnightTwo (WK2) before release. The SS2 then performed a 20-second rocket burn propelling it to a height of more than 13 miles. Achieving a speed of Mach 1.4 during Friday's 10-minute test sortie, it was the SS2's third supersonic flight to date. After systems testing, Virgin Galactic's chief pilot Dave Mackay along with test pilot Mark Stucky glided the SS2 back to terra firma performing a safe landing in the desert north of Los Angeles.

No date has yet been fixed for the SS2's first commercial space flight but Friday's successful tests, which included testing the craft's Reaction Control System (RCS) and newly installed thermal protection coatings on the vehicle's tail booms, moved Virgin Galactic a step nearer its goal.

The RCS system allows SS2's pilots to maneuver the vehicle in space, giving the intended future space passengers unrivalled views of the Earth below while allowing the craft's pilots to best position it for re-entry into Earth's atmosphere.

The reflective protective coating on the spacecraft's inner tail boom surfaces, intended to help regulate the skin temperature of the vehicle during rocket motor firing, underwent evaluation during Friday's flight.

Although SS2's power plant, its hybrid rocket motor developed by Sierra Nevada Corp, only underwent a 20-second burn last Friday, the system has undergone previous performance-proving ground firings to verify it has the burn time needed to ultimately take private astronauts to space.

Space-bound in 2014

Commenting on the successful test flight, Sir Richard Branson [Unlink], head of Virgin Group, one of Virgin Galactic's joint-owners along with UAE-based aabar Investments PJS, said, "I couldn't be happier to start the New Year with all the pieces visibly in place for the start of full space flights. 2014 will be the year when we will finally put our beautiful spaceship in her natural environment of space. Today, we had our own chief pilot flying another flawless supersonic flight and proving the various systems required to take us safely to space, as well as providing the very best experience while we're up there."

Although 2014 is the target year for SS2 to make its first, crucial journey into space, no date has yet been fixed for the craft to carry its first fare-paying passengers. The lack of a flight schedule hasn't been a barrier to those coveting the cachet of being among the first private astronauts. Already, Virgin Galactic has accepted more than $70 million in deposits from around 580 individuals, significantly more than the total number of people who have ever lifted off from Earth on national and international space programs.

For chief pilot, Scots-born, 56-year-old Dave Mackay, Friday's flight was a "dream come true." Mackay has been flying aircraft since 1977. He joined the Royal Air Force in 1979, becoming one of the RAF's leading test pilots. In 1995, Mackay switched from military to commercial aircraft joining airline Virgin Atlantic. During his stint there he piloted Boeing 747 Jumbos as well as the Airbus A340.

In 2009, Mackay decided to head to two different frontiers: one involved moving with his family to the Mojave Desert to join Virgin Galactic, the prelude to Friday's journey to the cusp of space, the final frontier.

"I've watched SS2 evolve over the years into an incredible vehicle that's going to open up space to more people than ever before. To be behind the controls and fly it as the rocket ignited is something I will never forget. She flew brilliantly. All the tests went really well and generated vital data that will be used to further fine-tune our operations," he said.

Scotsman Mackay is likely to be the first to pilot SS2 into space and, for science-fiction aficionados, that holds an elegant symmetry. For, to give SS2 its full name, it's SpaceShipTwo, VSS Enterprise. Wasn't there once a Scotsman on board a certain USS Enterprise?

 

http://www.youtube.com/v/Y-1QRivGgzI&feature=youtube_gdata_player

http://www.youtube.com/v/v1Nvr14smIw&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

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Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo's (SS2) third powered flight on Jan 10, 2014 over the Mojave desert. .This image was taken by MARS Scientific as part of the Mobile Aerospace Reconnaissance System optical tracking system.

Robert Myles is based in Rennes, Bretagne, France, and is an Anchor for Allvoices.

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