SS2/WK2 design lock, carbon laid

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docm

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Wired article....<br /><br /><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>Don't bother asking muttonchopped aerospace samurai Burt Rutan for a peek behind the 50-foot hangar doors at his Mojave, California, skunk works. He'll show off his new airships "when they're ready to fly," he huffs in an email. With SpaceShipOne, the first private vehicle to carry a human into space, safely berthed at the Smithsonian museum, the next generation is taking shape. According to industry sources, Rutan's Scaled Composites engineering crew has locked down designs and started laying up carbon fiber for two new craft: a supersize SpaceShipTwo plus a reconceived White Knight Two mother ship to haul it aloft.<br /> /><br />The SS2 is simply a bigger version of the original rocket, but the jet-powered WK2 is a total redesign. The first mother ship had a single fuselage. The new one accommodates the expanded ship with twin hulls that hold the SS2 suspended between them. The interior of one hull is a replica of the SS2: Passengers will ride along in training for a full-on space voyage the next day. FAA permitting, the second hull will carry cut-rate day-trippers into the stratosphere. The vehicle is being engineered to perform zero-g aerobatic swoops on the way down.<br /><br />Meanwhile, Virgin Galactic is busily preparing for customers. Top priority: low-cost space suits. Even a stripped-down high-altitude jet pilot's pressure suit is restrictive enough to kill the fun of going weightless, so Virgin Galactic is putting a premium on comfort. The target price is $20,000 (versus up to $20 million for NASA shuttle crew gear) for a durable unisuit with a pull-on hood for breathing, in the event of accidental cabin depressurization. <br /> /><p><hr /></p></p></blockquote> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>
 
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gunsandrockets

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Those White Knight 2 details were very interesting.<br />Thanx for the update!
 
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