SpaceShipOne's Future & Virgin Galactic Vessels

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dreada5

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<b>'No experiments' for SpaceShipOne</b><br /><br />http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3722596.stm<br /><br /><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>The team has turned down several offers, including the US government, to do scientific experiments on flights. <br /><br />Rutan says SpaceShipOne's task will be to focus on test flights for the commercial passenger craft that will be operated by Virgin Atlantic Airways. <br /><br />Once its flight life is over, SpaceShipOne will be joining other notable ships of exploration at the Air and Space museum. <p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br /><br />Glad to see Rutan is SO focused on achieving the team's vision of mass space tourism. No doubt government contracts would bring in extra money for Scaled, but I guess he feels it'll just be a distraction to want he knows he can achieve now. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /><br /><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>Virgin Galactic travellers will fly even higher than the pilots who flew the missions to qualify for the $10m Ansari X-Prize. <br /><br />The X-Prize flights had to be at least 100km, or 62 miles. <br /><br /> <br />Virgin has ordered five spaceliners from Rutan <br />Rutan is targeting an altitude of 69 miles, which would give passengers about seven minutes of weightlessness and more than twice as long to enjoy the view out the windows. <br /><br />"Every one of those passengers will have a much, much bigger window, a spectacular view," Branson said. " It'll be the most beautiful thing ever created by man." <br /><br />Virgin's agreement with Rutan and Allen is not exclusive. Mojave Aerospace Ventures is considering offers from four or five other companies as well, Rutan said. <br /><br />The spaceplanes will be based on SpaceShipOne technology, but will look very different, he said. <p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br /><br />Sounds awesome!! <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /><br />I w
 
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arobie

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I'm also glad to see that Rutan is not going to get distracted by government experiments.<br /><br />Four or five other companies is awesome! I can't wait to find out who they are. Who else would have a need for a (or many) Space Ship Two('s)?
 
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dreada5

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<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>Other "Backyard Bombers" who already sold tickets on their soon-to-be-flying X-Prize winners, and who find themselves in a distressing legal situation now as a result? <p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br /><br />What are you suggesting? That these other X-Prize teams purchase SS2s, scrapping their own projects, and offer flights to their customers and their government. If so, question is could they afford SS2s?<br /><br />It doesn't look like government will fund anything until they see it working eg. SS1
 
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Swampcat

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<font color="yellow">"What are you suggesting? That these other X-Prize teams purchase SS2s, scrapping their own projects, and offer flights to their customers and their government."</font><br /><br />I posted this over in SB&T.<br /><br />Though MAV clearly has a head start, I expect to see more players in this game by the time Virgin Galactic actually gets off the ground. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="3" color="#ff9900"><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong><em>------------------------------------------------------------------- </em></strong></font></p><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong><em>"I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. Unsuccessful rebellions, indeed, generally establish the encroachments on the rights of the people which have produced them. An observation of this truth should render honest republican governors so mild in their punishment of rebellions as not to discourage them too much. It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government."</em></strong></font></p><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong>Thomas Jefferson</strong></font></p></font> </div>
 
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dreada5

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I can't see the UK government funding Starchaser...no way! <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> (I live here) The UK government has just agreed to help fund ESA's Aurora Programme (equivalent of Bush's new space vision) getting the UK to fund that was a major achievement, lol!! <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /><br />I'd be very surprised if Starchaser gets some serious funding now from anyone as a result of Rutan's achievement. I think things will continue as they are...except for Branson & Rutan! <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" />
 
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JonClarke

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I agree -sadly - that HMG investing in Starcahser is unlikely in the extreme. I was staggered (though very pleased) that they actually got onboard with Aurora. But Starcahser don't need them. The July issue of Spaceflight said that Starchaser will be publically floated in the northern summer. They already have a cash stream from a range of activities and the X-prize for them was always only a means to an end, not the end in itself, the goal is a successful space tourism business.<br /><br />Jon<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>
 
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spacester

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<font color="yellow">the goal is a successful space tourism business.</font><br /><br />Just remember folks, that the companies that build the vehicles are most likely not going to be the companies that operate them. As has been said here many times, but I'm not sure everyone has let that sink in yet.<br /><br />How sweet it is! I've been avoiding posting here lately because I am so tempted to say<br /><br />I TOLD YOU SO!<br /><br />There was a time, back in 2000, when I was virtually the only one here promoting space tourism as the engine of change. I took a lot of flack for saying things like "NASA is irrelevant" and "It won't be just for the millionaires" and "Space Tourism by the end of the decade"<br /><br />So . . . How sweet it is! . . . and far be it for me to say<br /><br />I TOLD YOU SO!<br /><br />I mean that would just be uncool, to keep saying something like<br /><br />I TOLD YOU SO!<br /><br />OK, with any luck, I've got that out of my system . . .<br /><br /><img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" /> <img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" /> <img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" /> <img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" /> <img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" /> <img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" /> <img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" /> <img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" /> <img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" /> <img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" /> <img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" /> <img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" /> <img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" /> <img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" /> <img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" /> <img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>
 
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liquidspace2k

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Does anyone know if NASA is planning to buy one or two of the SpaceShip (ones-two) for a research craft. NASA would have no need for people to fly to sub-orbit, that way i meantioned it to be a research craft
 
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radarredux

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> <i><font color="yellow">I am sure NASA has no need to buy or use SSO.</font>/i><br /><br />Although Scaled Composites is the only US organization putting humans into space right now. <img src="/images/icons/shocked.gif" /><br /><br /></i>
 
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vegemite

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Ok how fast does this thing go, and how high? 100 km? A balloon can go 60 km, I really wouldn’t call this space tourism.
 
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yurkin

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<font color="yellow">I TOLD YOU SO!</font><br /><br />I wouldn’t go that far just yet. Virgin Galactic hasn’t made a dollar off of space tourism. They still have to build Space Ship Two and make sure it fly’s. A mishap early on could screw the whole project. However with the successful flight of SS1 a measure of optimism is certainly warranted.<br /><img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /><br />vegemite<br />100 km is in space 60 km is not. You also experience zero g while floating around the cabin, you can’t get that from a balloon. <br />
 
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najab

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><i>You also experience zero g while floating around the cabin, you can’t get that from a balloon.</i><p>Unless it bursts....<img src="/images/icons/shocked.gif" />!!!</p>
 
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spacester

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<font color="yellow">I wouldn’t go that far just yet.</font><br /><br />You're right of course, there's still a long road to travel.<br /><br />One disagreement, though, I still don't think a mishap early on will have a major impact. I think this is another case where folks are applying the rules of the gummint program game to the private spaceflight game. Where does the public outrage come from if there isn't public money involved? It was known to be risky up front, so a tragedy is not a surprise and the folks involved will simply keep on keepin' on.<br /><br />But the whole 'I told you so' thing is more about the kind of arguments I faced back then that have been retired. Things like "The market for space tourism consists of exactly one individual" or "Spaceflight is inherently too expensive, $10 Million won't make any difference" or "The X-prize is nothing more than a scam" <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>
 
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bobvanx

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yeh.<br /><br />Burt's faith in CFD is well-placed (afterall, it gets him to within 95% of a flight worthy vehicle most every time <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" />) but with something that flies through so many aerodynamic regimes, any thing he's learned is best incorporated into a new vehicle. Even 5% off can be too terrible to consider.<br /><br />For example, I'll bet the hybrid motor is far more variable than we've been told. Each flight has had <i>very</i> different thrust characteristics, from Mike's bangs to Brian's really smooth flow to Pete's buzzing howl. CFD is only as good as the data that goes in; if you don't tell the software that the thrust vector is going to be shifting, the flight profile of the vehicle is going to be different than predicted.<br /><br />Obviously it was within tolerances, but I'd guess it's close enough to margins that not flying again is really smart.
 
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mousebot

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Well from what I saw SS1 isn't exactly NASA's style of craft though I'm sure they would love a suborbital rocket to test next generation TPS. If SS1 didn't have such an erratic flight record someone over there would probably go for it.
 
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