Virgin Reveals World's First Commercial Spaceship

[akhodjaev]

Is it turbine propellers? I thought there is no air in space))

I would want more description about this spacecraft. How many times you can reuse it. Comparison details to NASA spacecraft.

Is it again 5min of real space time or it is more this time?

 

[uncfan_2563]

Can it play Crysis though? Lol!


On topic: This thing is great, I hope they stay in business with it because it would be terrible if this was a bust... A giant step backwards for mankind i say

 

[bogcotton]

[citation][nom]El_Capitan[/nom]300 people = hot demand? I'm in the wrong business.[/citation]

Hey, $60,000,000 is nothing to scoff at, especially when the public is unsure about this kind of technology.

 

[codeman03xx]

Captain Jean Luc Picard of the USS ENTERPRISE..

 

[fedtmusen]

I would hold my horses, until at least servicepack 1 -to the thingie arrive!

 

[brett1042002]

[citation][nom]akhodjaev[/nom]Is it turbine propellers? I thought there is no air in space))I would want more description about this spacecraft. How many times you can reuse it. Comparison details to NASA spacecraft. Is it again 5min of real space time or it is more this time?[/citation]

Yea, I don't get it. What is taking this thing into space? Turbines taking it so far, then rockets propelling it the rest of the way???

 

[Honis]

No one commenting on that title? The company name is Virgin Galactic... The title makes think this was a joke against the person pulling the curtain open...

 

[dhowie]

haha "Before boarding, we need you to sign this waiver......"

 

[flaminggerbil]

Jet engines work in space now, ey? The wonders of physics bending technologies.

 

[vabeachboy0]

how many parsecs per dilithium crystal?

 

[christop]

How does a jet engine work in space with no air?

 

[athreex]

[citation][nom]Parrdacc[/nom]Will there be a coupon day for us average Joe's to known space travel?[/citation]

Don't worry, There will be LogicBuy's coupons in THG news for this space trip. Just enter the news, click Get Deal.

 

[Guest]

spaceship2 is in the center. its wings are the short stubby ones on the bottom with the tail fins on each side. the fuselage on each side, upper wings and engines, are part of the aircraft that carries it to a high altitude. the ss2 and its carrier aircraft have identical controls to go along with their identical nose sections

 

[mr_tuel]

planes used to be for the rich too, now it is commonplace. in a few decades, the common man may be able to go into space.

 

[Clintonio]

[citation][nom]brett1042002[/nom]Yea, I don't get it. What is taking this thing into space? Turbines taking it so far, then rockets propelling it the rest of the way???[/citation]

There will be a rocket ship attached underneath. That thing in the picture is just a really big plane.. that can carry a rocket ship. The big thing with this is:

1) The plane takes it part way up, a more conventional way of getting up high (but this plane goes REALLY high compared to commercial ones, like 5 times higher, where the atmosphere is very very thin)
2) The rocket ship can then take off from the plane
3) The mothership lands on it's own accord
4) The rocket ship will land using inbuilt wings to make it act like a glider on it's decent.

If this is a success, Virgin Galatic have said they'll make an SS3, which will be an orbital craft. Which really paves way for commercial spaceflight!

 

[teraflop122]

There will be a rocket ship attached underneath.

Both the rocket and the aircraft are visible in that image. The two fuselages next to the pairs of engines belong to the aicraft, the central fuselage is actually the rocket. Weird, I know. You can get a better view of how it works here: http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/autopia/2009/12/ss2-and-vms-eve3-660x423.jpg

 

[teraflop122]

Different Angle

Sorry for the double post, missed the link the first time.

 

[mlopinto2k1]

Hope they don't encounter any space debris. That was the first thing I thought of... a piece of asteroid the size of a pea in diameter slicing through that damn thing at 250,000mph.

 

[tmike]

[citation][nom]christop[/nom]How does a jet engine work in space with no air?[/citation]

Well, just to play the you-know-who's you-know-what despite its not being applicable here...

Q) How can you leave Dallas to attend a staff meeting in Chicago without clothing?
A) Take clothes with you.

 

[okibrian]

[citation][nom]brett1042002[/nom]Yea, I don't get it. What is taking this thing into space? Turbines taking it so far, then rockets propelling it the rest of the way???[/citation]
OK guys, the middle part comes off around 60,000 feet and goes by rocket after that.