75ZT Community

Virgin Galactic spaceship tested

The Virgin team aiming to send tourists on suborbital flights has tested its spacecraft with a crew for the first time, it has announced.
The craft remained attached to a specially designed aeroplane throughout a six-hour flight over California's Mojave desert on Thursday, Virgin Galactic said.

On its website, the company congratulated the crew and said "Objectives achieved". It says the two crew members evaluated all the spaceship's systems and functions.

Virgin Galactic says the flight test programme will run until 2011 before it starts commercial operations.

A very interesting project to keep an eye on.

I wonder what they plan to charge for these trips?

If it was a toss up between this or a tripn down to Thunder City for some Lightnings and Buccaneers, the latter would still win.

Virgin's planned price for a few minutes of suborbital views? $200,000.

The SpaceShip Two wasn't carrying guests on Thursday — its crew was just testing the spacecraft.
Virgin's WhiteKnightTwo VMS Eve mothership is designed to fly tourists to approximately 50,000 feet,
where the VSS Enterprise will disembark and offer them a few minutes of suborbital kicks.
Virgin's planned price for a few minutes of suborbital views? $200,000

Who will be trying to attempt humanity's first space bonk?

Here's Virgin Galactic's SpaceShip Two cruising over the Mojave Desert last Thursday.

Not really that much higher than Concorder used to fly is it? ISTR that was over 40,000ft.

I could buy a house for this price

Samarkand wrote:I could buy a house for this price

Not a very nice house though.

JohnDotCom wrote:

Samarkand wrote:I could buy a house for this price

Not a very nice house though.

And it would be suborbital too.

Jürgen wrote:And it would be suborbital too.

Why not buy a time expired VC10 or Nimrod and make into a nice home........

JakeWilson wrote:I wonder what they plan to charge for these trips?

If it was a toss up between this or a tripn down to Thunder City for some Lightnings and Buccaneers, the latter would still win.

Did I dream this or what? but did another Lightning go down recently? apart from the one that had a hydraulic failure over land.

Rover418275 wrote:

JakeWilson wrote:I wonder what they plan to charge for these trips?

If it was a toss up between this or a tripn down to Thunder City for some Lightnings and Buccaneers, the latter would still win.

Did I dream this or what? but did another Lightning go down recently? apart from the one that had a hydraulic failure over land.

No you're not dreaming sadly! One did go down on a high-speed pass at an Air show not long ago - hydraulic failure!

Loss of a highly experienced pilot and a beautiful aircraft!

Duncan wrote:Not really that much higher than Concorder used to fly is it? ISTR that was over 40,000ft.

If I remember correctly from the programme the other day it flew at 60,000 feet.

US spy planes were often informed that it was flying through because they operate at the same height.