forums : General Discussion

$200,000 orbit

Here's one for the space nuts...




MOJAVE, California (AP) -- British billionaire Sir Richard Branson showed off a key piece of his fledgling commercial space program Monday, unveiling a carrier aircraft designed to launch a passenger-carrying spaceship.

Richard Branson, left, and aerospace pioneer Burt Rutan show off their White Knight Two spacecraft.

A crowd of engineers, dignitaries and space enthusiasts gathered inside a Mojave Desert hangar for the unveiling countdown.

As the hangar door flew open, White Knight Two appeared outside under the sunny desert sky with Branson and American aerospace pioneer Burt Rutan waving from the cabin.

White Knight Two, billed as the world's largest all-carbon-composite aircraft, is "one of the most beautiful and extraordinary aviation vehicles ever developed," Branson said. See Branson discuss the space venture »

The public showing was the first concrete evidence of progress since the Rutan-designed SpaceShipOne became the first private, manned rocket to reach space in 2004. After the groundbreaking flights, Rutan and Branson partnered to commercialize on the success. Branson dubbed the venture Virgin Galactic.


Despite the buzz surrounding White Knight Two's debut, significant hurdles remain before customers can experience zero gravity for $200,000 a ticket.

White Knight Two must undergo a rigorous flight testing program, beginning in the fall. Engineers still need to finish building SpaceShipOne's successor, SpaceShipTwo, which is now about 70 percent complete, according to Virgin Galactic.

The mothership is a white, four-engine jet with room between its twin fuselages where SpaceShipTwo will be mounted for the flight to launch altitude. Virgin Galactic christened it Eve after Branson's mother, and the aircraft's side has a motif of a helmeted blond woman flying a Virgin flag.

White Knight Two has a 140-foot wingspan, about the same as a Boeing B-29 Superfortress, the World War II long-range heavy bomber. White Knight Two is designed to cradle SpaceShipTwo under its wing and release it at 50,000 feet in the air.

Once separated, SpaceShipTwo will fire its hybrid rocket and climb some 62 miles above Earth.

Re: $200,000 orbit

this is my s**t (sort of kind of reelated)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81gn2oLeC_U&feature=related

Re: $200,000 orbit

^ that was sick!

Re: $200,000 orbit

That gave me motion sickness just watching it.

That man has cajones the size of Mars.

Re: $200,000 orbit

This one explains it better. Crazy u could see the curvature of the earth from where he was and also crazy that he had no sesation of up or down

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQ7N6V-YKJ8&feature=related

Re: $200,000 orbit

600+ mph... 6+ minutes falling... thats insane!

Re: $200,000 orbit

yeah i covered it for Wired live from the event:

http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/07/unveiled-white.html

I can't wait to go to space!

Re: $200,000 orbit

wow thats huge dave!!

Re: $200,000 orbit

actually it doesn't take you in to orbit, it just takes you up in to space and you are weightless for about 4 minutes.

=]

Re: $200,000 orbit

oh also my gallery just went up:

http://www.wired.com/science/space/multimedia/2008/07/gallery_virgin_galactic

=]

Re: $200,000 orbit

this is my s**t

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttz5oPpF1Js


(kinda related to the related topic of the main topic) lol

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According to mc.xyz ...

this is my s**t (sort of kind of reelated)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81gn2oLeC_U&feature=related

**********

Re: $200,000 orbit

All Aboard the Vomit Comet!

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According to eecue ...

actually it doesn't take you in to orbit, it just takes you up in to space and you are weightless for about 4 minutes.

=]
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Re: $200,000 orbit

it's different than the vomit commit... in the vc you're "weightless" because you're in freefall. on virgin galactic you'll actually be up high enough to no longer be in the earth's gravitational field. =]

Re: $200,000 orbit

The vomit comet goes upside down right? Or am I all messed up?

I think I'd rather ride the Virgin version either way. Sounds a little easier on the senses.