Space Ship 2 Updates thread....

[PistolPete037]

Re: Space ship 2 unveiled Monday!

The models for WK2 were pretty accurate compared to what the actual aircraft looked like, so I don't think that there will be any surprises tomorrow.

PISTOL PETE!!! Where have you been???
I'm sure your right, but we'll be able to sit in this one. :ugeek:

Been busy getting ready for my upcoming deployment to Afghanistan.

Looks like DOCM beat me to posting pictures of Enterprise. Sometimes I have to stop and take a step back and realize that this thing is real. When my parents were younger, they were told that they would take vacations to space. Looks like they were a generation off.

 

[PistolPete037]

Branson's mother sounds like quite a gal....

NBC Cosmic Log....

VSS Enterprise is emblazoned with an image of "Galactic Girl," a mascot who is modeled after Branson's mother as she looked in the 1940s, floating in zero-G. Eve Branson, who admits to being near her 90s, stopped by while we were there to look at her likeness, which was painted by a grandson, Ned Rocknroll.

"These are your belly-dancing days," Richard Branson joked.

"Could have made the boobs a little bit bigger," his mother said, grinning all the while.

"Never satisfied, never satisfied," the son replied.

Eve Branson said she was indeed satisfied, calling the likeness "marvelous" and congratulating her grandson, the artist. "Hey, if you put your grandmother on the side of a spaceship, you're all good," Ned Rocknroll said.

Ever since Virgin Galactic released pictures of Eve, I had to wonder if Rich doesn't have some sort of Oedipus complex.

 

[newsartist]

VSS Enterprise, and Eve

SpaceShip2 has been unveiled at Mojave.

It is now named "VSS Enterprise", and was displayed mated with carrier aircraft "Eve", aka; White Knight 2.

 

[Boris_Badenov]

Re: VSS Enterprise, and Eve

SS2 Updates are in SB&T.

 

[chebby]

So will this ever lead to any orbital flights? Or reaching orbit is impossible with such a launch platform?

 

[PistolPete037]

So will this ever lead to any orbital flights? Or reaching orbit is impossible with such a launch platform?

Not for a manned spacecraft, but it's been proposed to use WK2 as a launch aircraft for a microsatellite rocket.

 

[docm]

See my Virgin Galactic LauncherOne thread....

 

[JasonChapman]

who te hell came up with the name VSS Enterprise talk about cheesy, might as well have called it the Virgin Galactica

 

[docm]

Enterprise (or Enterprize) is a common Naval ships name in the US or UK with 27 vessels between them, not to mention commercial ships, and it was also the name of a space shuttle testbed and has no small degree of cultural significance. I have no problem with it at all.

 

[MeteorWayne]

See my Virgin Galactic LauncherOne thread....

Which has been merged into this thread. Let's keep all the Virgin Galactic stuff together, OK?

 

[exoscientist]

Two more Youtube videos on the unveiling:

Virgin Galatic unveil SpaceShipTwo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERDXOyJyugU

Unveiling Party for Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZow4QyBdeY


Bob Clark

 

[docm]

Official rollout video, hangar walkaround, flight animation and some talking heads....

I really recommend watching it in HQ full screen if you can, so the direct link is below.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YM3boMJgRU[/youtube]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YM3boMJgRU

 

[EarthlingX]

This is interesting read:
Burt Rutan: The maverick of Mojave

If half the engineers think it's impossible and half think it's hard, it's worth doing

 

[EarthlingX]

From http://www.newsdaily.com
Virgin Galactic sees space test flights in 2011

By Tamara Walid
Posted 2010/03/03 at 6:11 am EST

DUBAI, Mar. 3, 2010 (Reuters) — Virgin Galactic is aiming to launch test flights into space in 2011, but does not need additional financing after selling a stake to Abu Dhabi's Abaar last year, its chief executive said on Wednesday.

 

[Testing]

Rumor mill has it that they will begin mated, non launch test flights on Friday, March 19. No corroberation. No links.

 

[nimbus]

You mean this friday the 19th, or April 17th?

 

[Testing]

Sorry bout that. I heard Friday March 19. Flight test only, not a launch.

 

[halman]

who te hell came up with the name VSS Enterprise talk about cheesy, might as well have called it the Virgin Galactica

Excuse me? This is a commercial enterprise to make money.

 

[halman]

So will this ever lead to any orbital flights? Or reaching orbit is impossible with such a launch platform?

Not with these vehicles, but the concept can be scaled up indefinitely.

I still believe that flying the spaceship off of the back of the the carrier wing is a better way to launch, because no altitude is lost while the engine powers up.

 

[halman]

See my Virgin Galactic LauncherOne thread....

Where is it?

 

[nimbus]

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=21594&p=409534&hilit=LauncherOne#p409534

 

[csmyth3025]

Wikipedia lists the White Knight as being able to deliver a payload of ~37,400 lbs to an altitude of 50,000 ft.

I agree that a beefed-up version of this design might well be capable of air-launching a reusable crew orbital vehicle (or a reusable ISS routine resupply vehicle) in the relatively near-term future. I wonder if Scaled Composites has something in mind like this for SpaceShip III or IV. I've read that Virgin Galactic has indcated that their SpaceShip III is to be used as a hypersonic point-to-point passenger aircraft. Given the apparently lucrative market developing for commercial craft to replace the Shuttle, Soyuz and Progress craft now in use, Sir Richard Branson's seemingly good business instincts and Scaled Composites ability to rapidly bring into production new designs, I wouldn't be surprised if they are quietly working on beating the competion in these areas.

Chris

 

[Testing]

Looks like Monday, March 22 for a re-try.

 

[mr_mark]

Both Scaled Composite's Burt Rutan and Virgin Galactic have said over and over that Spaceship 3 will be a suborbital point to point vehicle not an orbital one. From a business perspective there is nothing to gain from a single seat low Earth orbital vehicle, there is something to gain though from a research perspective into future reusable vehicles. Spacex, Boeing and Lockheed Martin are ready to build orbital passenger vehicles. It will take awhile for a plane based design from a private firm to become successful, Dreamchaser will be one if it ever gets off the ground.

 

[Testing]

White Knight II and VSS Enterprise completed thier first mated test flight this morning.