SpaceShipTwo

[vogel]

Virgin Galactic‏Verified account @virgingalactic  6m6 minutes ago

[tnt22]

Virgin Galactic‏Подлинная учетная запись @virgingalactic 3 мин. назад

VSS Unity has just been released from her mothership, VMS Eve for her 6th glide flight test #SpaceShipTwo #WhiteKnightTwo


2 мин. назад

The pilots have begun their test of the 'feather' re-entry system. The vehicle is now in the feathered configuration #SpaceShipTwo

[tnt22]

Virgin Galactic‏Подлинная учетная запись @virgingalactic 1 мин. назад

Our pilots have now returned VSS Unity to her unfeathered configuration as planned #SpaceShipTwo

[tnt22]

Virgin Galactic‏Подлинная учетная запись @virgingalactic 2 мин. назад

All looks good so far. Today we are landing at a heavier landing weight & center-of-gravity towards the back of the vehicle #SpaceShipTwo

[tnt22]

Virgin Galactic‏Подлинная учетная запись @virgingalactic 1 мин. назад

Touch down! Another smooth landing for VSS Unity. In VSS Unity today were pilots Dave Mackay and CJ Sturckow #SpaceShipTwo

[tnt22]

Virgin Galactic‏Подлинная учетная запись @virgingalactic 1 мин. назад

VMS Eve has landed, completing today's test. Crew today were pilots Pecile & Masucci and flight test engineer Mosher #WhiteKnightTwo

[tnt22]

Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight 7 мин. назад

Good flight test for VSS Unity: http://www.virgingalactic.com/update-from-mojave-vss-unity-flies-with-propulsion-systems-installed-and-live/ ...

[tnt22]

http://www.virgingalactic.com/update-from-mojave-vss-unity-flies-with-propulsion-systems-installed-and-live/

August 04, 2017

Update from Mojave: VSS Unity Flies with Propulsion Systems Installed and Live

It was a beautiful summer's morning  here in Mojave today and a great day for flying!

During the couple of months since VSS Unity's last flight, our teams have been focusing their efforts on a long list of ground-based test and installation activities. With those successfully completed, it was time to get VSS Unity back into her natural environment. So, after an early start for the team, VMS EVE and VSS Unity took gracefully to the skies again today, at 8:58AM local time.

Спойлер

This was Unity's sixth glide test and essentially a dry run for rocket-powered flights.  VMS Eve was piloted by Nicola Pecile and Mike Masucci with flight test engineer Dustin Mosher. Pilots Dave Mackay and CJ Sturckow were at Unity's controls with a test card which kept them fully occupied as we expanded the speed and load envelope, put the vehicle into the feathered reentry configuration, and evaluated flying with an increased weight and rearward shift in the center-of-gravity for landing.

Our major first today though was that with the exception of the rocket motor fuel grain, called the CTN (Case-Throat-Nozzle), we flew with all the spaceship's principle propulsion components on-board and live. This meant that Unity took off with her forward pressurant tank loaded with helium and for the first time, her centrally positioned Main Oxidizer Tank fully charged with nitrous oxide. In a repeat of the last flight, Unity also carried a ballast tank in the rear fuselage filled with 1000 lbs of water to simulate the weight and positioning of the CTN.



As planned, the pilots tested the venting of the nitrous tank while still mounted on the carrier aircraft. The procedure proceeded smoothly, as Eve and Unity climbed past 40,000 feet and approached the drop point. After a clean separation from Eve and an approach-to-stall test, Unity's tail-booms were raised into their re-entry position for the second time in flight. Once back into the normal glide configuration, the pilots used the descent to execute the remaining test points, including a high-g pull-up maneuver and bank-to-bank rolls. Unlike the previous glide test, the water ballast in the rear tank was not jettisoned, allowing us to test the spaceship's  performance with a heavier landing weight and a center-of-gravity towards the back of the vehicle.



Chief pilot David Mackay shared his initial impressions: "We are really pleased with what we saw today. We collected hundreds of gigabytes of data for us to review, and from the pilots' point of view, it felt really wonderful. All of you here at Virgin Galactic and The Spaceship Company should be very proud: VSS Unity is a great spaceship!"

Lots of data to examine now, but a great day's work and an important step towards powered flights. Congratulations to our pilots, the propulsion team, ground crew, mission control, and of course to Eve and Unity!

[свернуть]

[tnt22]

Jeff Foust‏ @jeff_foust 7 мин. назад

Whitesides: Virgin Galactic is "still trucking away", getting close to powered flight of second SpaceShipTwo.


6 мин. назад

Whitesides: have a "very small number" of glide flights of SS2 left before starting powered flights.


4 мин. назад

Whitesides: done with engine testing of SS2's hybrid rocket motor. It's the most advanced hybrid rocket motor ever built.


2 мин. назад

Whitesides: building two more SpaceShipTwos right now; recently bonded the cabin for one of them.

[tnt22]

OVERVIEW | Episode 1: Ground Crew

Virgin Galactic

Опубликовано: 29 сент. 2017 г.

The Virgin Galactic ground crew plays an essential role in our commercial spaceline operations. Meet our spaceship mechanics and watch them prepare our vehicles VSS Unity and VMS Eve for a flight -- right up until they pull chocks for taxi and take-off.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn1cBrUFnqghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn1cBrUFnqg (3:59)

[tnt22]

Virgin Galactic‏Подлинная учетная запись @virgingalactic 11 ч. назад

It's official: FAA has added our future home base @Spaceport_NM as an approved launch site in our operator license. We are getting #NMReady

[m-s Gelezniak]

Когда летит то?

[Pirat5]

Это как сериал "Санта Барбара" - штука, длящаяся десятилетиями, и по-прежнему далёкая от финала.
и за этот сериал уже многие заплатили ведь.... :oops:

[Rifkat]

в том числе своей жизнью

[Oleg]

полетит после BFR-а

[tnt22]

http://tass.ru/kosmos/4762029

Virgin Galactic Ричарда Брэнсона продала около 900 билетов первым космическим туристам

Космос  | 27 ноября, 14:16 UTC+3

Как отметил миллиардер, сейчас один билет в космос стоит $250 тыс., однако со временем стоимость космического путешествия может снизиться

МОСКВА, 27 ноября. /ТАСС/. Компания британского предпринимателя и миллиардера Ричарда Брэнсона Virgin Galactic продала около 900 билетов первым космическим туристам, заявил Брэнсон в интервью гендиректору и основателю KupiVIP.ru Оскару Хартману в ходе бизнес-форума Synergy Global Forum 2017.

"Около 900 билетов", - сказал Брэнсон, отвечая на соответствующий вопрос Хартмана.

"Надеюсь, что через 2-3 месяца Virgin Galactic отправится в космос и начнется совсем новая космическая эра, в которой многие люди, находящиеся здесь, смогут позволить себе отправиться в космос", - сказал Брэнсон.

Спойлер

Сейчас один билет в космос Virgin Galactic стоит $250 тыс., однако, по словам Брэнсона, со временем стоимость космического путешествия может снизиться.

Принадлежащая Брэнсону компания Virgin Galactic ранее провела серию испытаний своего туристического корабля SpaceShipTwo модели Unity. Ожидается, что аппарат должен вскоре совершить и суборбитальный космический полет.

Модель Unity была представлена в феврале текущего года, а ее первый пробный полет состоялся 8 сентября. Модель создали взамен образца, разбившегося примерно полтора года назад. По внешнему виду она практически не отличается от предыдущей модели под названием Enterprise, которая разбилась в пустыне Мохаве на юге Калифорнии в октябре 2014 года при выполнении испытательного полета. Согласно выводам специалистов, которые изучали обстоятельства ЧП, одной из причин крушения тогда стала ошибка пилота.

В результате катастрофы один из пилотов погиб, другой получил ранения. Свой первый пилотируемый полет над пустыней в Калифорнии, преодолев звуковой барьер, аппарат Enterprise совершил в апреле 2013 года. Представители Virgin Galactic заверяют, что после катастрофы сделали необходимые выводы и новая модель стала значительно безопаснее предшественницы.

[свернуть]

[Olaf]

https://twitter.com/virgingalactic/status/951447984331468805

Our team is prepping for a #SpaceShipTwo flight test today

https://twitter.com/virgingalactic/status/951448922161115136

VMS Eve & VSS Unity are headed out to the runway for final checks #SpaceShipTwo
 

 

[Olaf]

https://twitter.com/virgingalactic/status/951488379761373184

Take off! VMS Eve & VSS Unity have taken to the skies 

[Olaf]

https://twitter.com/virgingalactic/status/951489309923688448

Today is 11th flight for VSS Unity #SpaceShipTwo, 242nd for VMS Eve #WhiteKnightTwo

 

[Olaf]

https://twitter.com/virgingalactic/status/951505415933779968

VSS Unity has just been released from her mothership, VMS Eve for her 7th glide flight test 

https://twitter.com/virgingalactic/status/951506721893240833

Touch down! Another smooth landing for VSS Unity. In VSS Unity today were pilots Mark Stucky and Michael Masucci

https://twitter.com/virgingalactic/status/951510352637906944

Smooth landing for #SpaceShipTwo