Virgin Galactic Space Plane Set For Relaunch

[Still Waters]

Richard Branson is preparing to relaunch his Virgin Galactic project to send passengers into space.

The venture suffered a devastating setback in 2014 after one pilot was killed and another seriously injured after the spacecraft crashed on a powered test flight.

http://news.sky.com/...et-for-relaunch

[Merc14]

I still can't understand why there wasn't some kind of safety device on that control to act as a barrier to early actuation. I believe the NTSB dinged Scaled Composites for that error and hopefully they have reviewed al systems for other single points of catastrophic failure.

edit: article from Space.com on the NTSB report http://www.space.com...ilot-error.html The report says that an inhibitor is now in-place and training designed to warn of early release.

Edited February 19, 2016 by Merc14

[Derek Willis]

I still can't understand why there wasn't some kind of safety device on that control to act as a barrier to early actuation.

Surely it is not easy to accidentally eject yourself from a jet fighter, and there are means of preventing that happening. Why didn't the Virgin space plane put in place similar safety systems?

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Surely it is not easy to accidentally eject yourself from a jet fighter, and there are means of preventing that happening. Why didn't the Virgin space plane put in place similar safety systems?

This wasn't an accidental ejection, it was the deployment of the wing "feathering" system, designed to keep the craft stable in the upper atmosphere during re-entry. It was not designed to be deployed at supersonic speed in the lower atmosphere and resulted in ther break up of the vehicle.

Like all matters hindsight is a wonderful thing but you are never going to be able to anticipate every single human error before it occurs.

[Derek Willis]

This wasn't an accidental ejection, it was the deployment of the wing "feathering" system, designed to keep the craft stable in the upper atmosphere during re-entry. It was not designed to be deployed at supersonic speed in the lower atmosphere and resulted in ther break up of the vehicle.

Like all matters hindsight is a wonderful thing but you are never going to be able to anticipate every single human error before it occurs.

I know it wasn't an accidental ejection. I made a comparison with ejecting from a jet fighter because Merc used to be a naval aviator and hence knows about the safety systems of ejection seats. My point was that if safety systems exist to prevent accidentally ejecting from a fighter, why wasn't a similar system installed in the Virgin space plane to prevent the accidental deployment of the feathering wing system.

Edit. In many situations where not doing something accidentally is critical, often very simple measures are taken. For example a switch might have a cover. The cover serves two purposes. Firstly the switch can't be accidentally knocked, and secondly before operation the person has to think about what they are doing - i.e. lift the cover and then press the switch.

Edited February 20, 2016 by Derek Willis

[Still Waters]

More -

New Virgin Galactic Space Plane Unveiled

http://news.sky.com/...-plane-unveiled

[Derek Willis]

Apparently, almost $400 million has been invested in the Virgin space plane. With six passengers per flight and at $0.25 million per ticket, the revenue from each launch will be $1.5 million. Assuming a 20% profit per flight ($0.3 million), there will need to be well over one thousand flights to break even. Obviously more than one space plane will be needed. But I guess it is optimism like that which has made Richard Branson so successful!

[pallidin]

I would love to be a passenger someday, but not on the first, second or even third passenger flights.

Maybe the 4th.

Have the interest, but kind-of-a weenie with heights.

[Merc14]

Surely it is not easy to accidentally eject yourself from a jet fighter, and there are means of preventing that happening. Why didn't the Virgin space plane put in place similar safety systems?

An ejection seat is an odd piece of gear in that it has to be easy actuate as it will most likely be used in an emergency situation situation but secure enough that it doesn't accidentally go off. In Navy aircraft they are pinned with the safeties on. When you man up you pull the pins and store them in the jet and once the canopy is closed and the engines are started you turn off the safeties when you taxi out of the line. Actuation is accomplished by pulling a face curtain over your head by the handle that is just above your helmet. Secondary actuation can be accomplished by pulling up on a handle between your knees.

After actuation everything is automatic, an explosive blows off the canopy (at least in the aircraft I flew) an explosive blows the seat out of the cockpit and sets off the rockets which fly your seat away from the plane and get you headed n the right direction (away from the water). drogues pop out and explosives blow your **** out of the seat, then blow your parachute out of the seat and then blow open the parachute. Martin Baker guaranteed one swing in the chute before returning to mother earth no matter what. Thankfully I never had to take that ride as it is not a pleasant one. In the mid-80's they equipped our harnesses with little salt water actuated devices that blew the chutes straps off when you went in the water thereby getting the chute off you so it won't drag you into the deep and deployed your buoyancy devise which meant you could pull that handle and pass out and when you woke up you'd find yourself floating peacefully in the ocean.

This wasn't an accidental ejection, it was the deployment of the wing "feathering" system, designed to keep the craft stable in the upper atmosphere during re-entry. It was not designed to be deployed at supersonic speed in the lower atmosphere and resulted in ther break up of the vehicle.

Like all matters hindsight is a wonderful thing but you are never going to be able to anticipate every single human error before it occurs.

Actually the tail is designed to deploy between 1.4 IMN and 1.8 IMN. The copilot unlocked the tail at 0.8 IMN and the turbulence from transonic flight overpowered the tail securing mechanism which led to catastrophic failure.

When Alsbury unlocked the feathering system early, turbulence from SpaceShipTwo's transonic flight overpowered the tail booms' securing mechanism, leading to the vehicle's destruction, NTSB investigators said. - See more at: http://www.space.com/30073-virgin-galactic-spaceshiptwo-crash-pilot-error.html#sthash.5DUVU86G.dpuf

When Alsbury unlocked the feathering system early, turbulence from SpaceShipTwo's transonic flight overpowered the tail booms' securing mechanism, leading to the vehicle's destruction, NTSB investigators said. - See more at: http://www.space.com/30073-virgin-galactic-spaceshiptwo-crash-pilot-error.html#sthash.5DUVU86G.dpuf

When Alsbury unlocked the feathering system early, turbulence from SpaceShipTwo's transonic flight overpowered the tail booms' securing mechanism, leading to the vehicle's destruction, NTSB investigators said. - See more at: http://www.space.com/30073-virgin-galactic-spaceshiptwo-crash-pilot-error.html#sthash.5DUVU86G.dpuf

When Alsbury unlocked the feathering system early, turbulence from SpaceShipTwo's transonic flight overpowered the tail booms' securing mechanism, leading to the vehicle's destruction, NTSB investigators said. - See more at: http://www.space.com/30073-virgin-galactic-spaceshiptwo-crash-pilot-error.html#sthash.5DUVU86G.dpuf

[Derek Willis]

An ejection seat is an odd piece of gear in that it has to be easy actuate as it will most likely be used in an emergency situation situation but secure enough that it doesn't accidentally go off. In Navy aircraft they are pinned with the safeties on. When you man up you pull the pins and store them in the jet and once the canopy is closed and the engines are started you turn off the safeties when you taxi out of the line. Actuation is accomplished by pulling a face curtain over your head by the handle that is just above your helmet. Secondary actuation can be accomplished by pulling up on a handle between your knees.

After actuation everything is automatic, an explosive blows off the canopy (at least in the aircraft I flew) an explosive blows the seat out of the cockpit and sets off the rockets which fly your seat away from the plane and get you headed n the right direction (away from the water). drogues pop out and explosives blow your **** out of the seat, then blow your parachute out of the seat and then blow open the parachute. Martin Baker guaranteed one swing in the chute before returning to mother earth no matter what. Thankfully I never had to take that ride as it is not a pleasant one. In the mid-80's they equipped our harnesses with little salt water actuated devices that blew the chutes straps off when you went in the water thereby getting the chute off you so it won't drag you into the deep and deployed your buoyancy devise which meant you could pull that handle and pass out and when you woke up you'd find yourself floating peacefully in the ocean.

Thanks Merc for that "blow by blow" description of what it is like to eject from a fighter. I remember from a previous post you saying that you fortunately never had to land that way. Some time back I watched a documentary about the Second Gulf War and there was an interview with a pilot who'd had to eject. I'm not sure if his plane was hit or if there was a malfunction of some sort (probably the latter because I don't think any allied planes were hit). They showed a clip of him being brought on-board the carrier. He looked like he had gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson! His injuries were due to the massive g-forces and the sheer violence of the process. His comment was perhaps typical of aviators and pilots: "You eject because it's not quite as bad as being killed."

[+DieChecker]

If this one was engineered by his own in house people, then it isn't a copy exactly model of the other existing spaceships?

[skookum]

Apparently, almost $400 million has been invested in the Virgin space plane. With six passengers per flight and at $0.25 million per ticket, the revenue from each launch will be $1.5 million. Assuming a 20% profit per flight ($0.3 million), there will need to be well over one thousand flights to break even. Obviously more than one space plane will be needed. But I guess it is optimism like that which has made Richard Branson so successful!

And ideally 1000 flights free of any major incident.

[Goodnite]

That craft is one sexy beast.

[Derek Willis]

I would love to be a passenger someday, but not on the first, second or even third passenger flights.

Maybe the 4th.

Have the interest, but kind-of-a weenie with heights.

Having no fear of heights is only one of the qualities required to become a Virgin Galactic astronaut - the other is having $0.25 million for a two hour thrill ride.

[Derek Willis]

There are almost 128,000 members of UM. We should crowd fund a flight on the Virgin Galactic space plane. All it would require is $2 each. I can think of one UM member who is very much qualified to be that astronaut ...

[joonmoon999]

Here I go!

[+DieChecker]

There are almost 128,000 members of UM. We should crowd fund a flight on the Virgin Galactic space plane. All it would require is $2 each. I can think of one UM member who is very much qualified to be that astronaut ...

Except only about 75 of them have over 100 posts and have come back for more then a month.

EDIT: Actually there are about 1000 members who have over 1000 posts..... DANG!!!

Edited February 26, 2016 by DieChecker

[Derek Willis]

Except only about 75 of them have over 100 posts and have come back for more then a month.

EDIT: Actually there are about 1000 members who have over 1000 posts..... DANG!!!

Yeah, unfortunately that means $250 each. I somehow can't see it happening.

[Waspie_Dwarf]

If I sold my home I could afford a ticket... but I don't think my landlords would like it.

[Derek Willis]

If I sold my home I could afford a ticket... but I don't think my landlords would like it.

You should go for it. You could tell your former landlords how honored they will be to have an astronaut as a former tenant. That may mitigate the sentencing of your fraud trial.

Inspired by your suggestion, I have a plan. My wife knows it was a childhood ambition of mine to be an astronaut. I am building up the courage to tell her that if we move into a tent, she will have helped me fulfill my ambition.

[Waspie_Dwarf]

it was a childhood ambition of mine to be an astronaut.

Mine too, once I had decided I didn't want to be a train driver.