Virgin aims for mid-2018 space trip

[Newsfeed]

Virgin aims for mid-2018 space trip

More than 2 1/2 years after the fatal breakup of Virgin Galactic’s experimental rocket plane, Richard Branson is poised to revive powered test flights as the billionaire entrepreneur targets his first journey into space by the middle of next year.

 

[Pitbull]

Misleading title...

Here I thought it's someone who wants their cherry popped in space...

 

[Patrick_Hockstetter]

How high up will this spaceship go?

 

[satanboy]

Thought the thread was about Chris.

 

[I.am.Sam]

Thought the thread was about Chris.

same

 

[Drifter]

Het Chris dan al gery?

 

[Patrick_Hockstetter]

How.high?

 

[Garson007]

How high up will this spaceship go?

Afaik, the objective is piercing 100km.

 

[Patrick_Hockstetter]

So quite low then.
Thanks

 

[TEXTILE GUY]

Reminds me .... of a movie I watched back in the day on a stretched VHS tape ..... cause it was illegal back then

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079949/

 

[NarrowBandFtw]

Misleading title...
Here I thought it's someone who wants their cherry popped in space...

so is the title clickbait or jailbait then?

 

[rph72]

Wonder if this will still happen: https://www.ebucks.com/web/eBucks/aboutus/pressreleases/2005/womaninspace.jsp

 

[Gordon_R]

Test flight today came as a surprise: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-46550862

The latest test flight by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic successfully rocketed to the edge of space and back.

The firm's SpaceShipTwo passenger rocket ship reached a height of 82.7km, beyond the altitude at which Nasa awards astronaut status.

It marked the plane's fourth test flight and followed earlier setbacks in the firm's space programme.

On Thursday, the SpaceShipTwo passenger rocket ship took off from the Mojave Desert in California.

The company said the space ship's motor burned for 60 seconds, travelling at 2.9 times the speed of sound as it gained height.

The rocket carried two pilots and a mannequin named Annie as a stand-in passenger, as well as four research experiments for NASA.

Virgin Galactic, which is charging $250,000 for a 90-minute flight, has said more than 600 people have bought tickets or put down deposits for an eventual voyage.

 

[BeerIsNotGood...]

Afaik, the objective is piercing 100km.

 

[Gordon_R]

Another test flight, this time with a 'passenger' astronaut: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-47336617

Virgin Galactic has pushed its Unity rocket plane faster and higher than it's ever been.

Chief pilot, Scotsman Dave Mackay, and co-pilot, American Mike Masucci, took the vehicle to almost 90km in altitude above California's Mojave Desert before gliding back down to Earth.

The test flight edges Virgin that bit closer to its goal of introducing commercial passenger flights.

More than 700 people are signed up for a trip on Unity to suborbital space.

It's not clear when precisely this service will begin, but Virgin Group boss, Sir Richard Branson, believes it will be very soon.

Mr Mackay, from Helmsdale, Sutherland, becomes the first Scottish-born pilot to travel to space, by Virgin's preferred definition of that term.

"It was thrilling yet smooth and nicely controlled throughout, with a view at the top, of the Earth from space, which exceeded all our expectations," he said after landing back at Mojave airport.

Friday's mission followed the usual flight procedures.

Unity was carried aloft by the WhiteKnightTwo aircraft, before being released to ignite its rocket motor and climb high over the desert.

It's only the fifth time Unity has conducted a powered ascent, and should have provided valuable data on engine performance and the overall handling of the vehicle.

The big difference with previous flights is that there was a third person onboard. Beth Moses is Virgin's chief astronaut instructor and she was present on the mission to get a better understanding "of the customer cabin and spaceflight environment from the perspective of people in the back".