back to article Beardy Branson's space bird spreads its wings

For the first time in more than two years, a Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo has been unclipped from its carrier. The VSS Unity glided for 10 minutes under its own control, after being released from WhiteKnightTwo, after a previous four “captive carry” test flights. Virgin Galactic says the Saturday flight over the Mojave desert …

  1. Arthur the cat Silver badge

    co-pilot Michael Albury prematurely unlocked the “shuttlecock” tail booms nine seconds after the rocket motors ignited. The FAA said the accident was caused by a combination of human error and a lack of safety training.

    The obvious question is why the hell wasn't there some sort of safety interlock so the booms couldn't be unlocked while the rockets were firing?

    1. Jess--

      probably because at a different stage in flight failing to unlock the booms because a sensor says the rocket is firing would be just as deadly.

      some things are better left under direct pilot control... but doing so does allow for errors (especially with a new type of aircraft that nobody has extensive experience with)

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      The previous failure isn't news, perhaps we can dispense with rehashing all this?

    3. Gene Cash Silver badge

      Because in a brand new vehicle, you can't think of everything. You give it a seriously good try, but in the end you gotta go fly.

      Because they probably thought "an experienced test pilot wouldn't make that sort of mistake"

  2. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken

    "Virgin Galactic says the Saturday flight over the Mojave desert was the first of many glides the craft will undergo to gather “real world” data.

    The VSS Unity was released from its carrier [...] and it hit Mach 0.6 [...] in the ten-minute test, before making its glide landing at just after 10:40 US Eastern Time on September 3."

    So it has time travel capabilities too? Impressive.

    1. NotBob
      Facepalm

      Everything travels through time. It's only if something can alter its rate through time that anyone would be impressed...

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Must be tired...

    'VSS Unity '

    I read that as USS Vanity which seems more in keeping with this project's ambitions.

  4. annodomini2

    While...

    .. I respect their continuation with the project.

    SpaceX will probably have it's Mars rocket in orbit, before this goes into commercial operation.

  5. Alan Bourke

    And there was me wondering

    why their broadband prices had gone up twice in 6 months.

    1. annodomini2

      Re: And there was me wondering

      Beardy doesn't own it any more.

  6. Cynic_999

    Glide or plummet?

    10 minutes to "glide" from 50000 feet to the ground? That's the same rate of descent you will experience in a flat spin!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Glide or plummet?

      I suppose if you scrub off enough speed and have enough control to land that is all the difference that is needed?

      Strictly speaking it is only the last billionth of a billionth of a billionth of a millimetre that matters... There, and only there, is Plummet vs Land truly decided

  7. Tikimon

    Man vs Machine conundrum at work again

    Many times, a well-designed machine can do what The Human does as well or better. They don't get tired or distracted, etc. However, this usually is limited to well-established routines. When the wheels fall off, the machines can't figure out what to do.

    Experienced human pilots have performed some amazing feats to save crippled aircraft and the hundreds of passengers aboard. Those years of training and experience coupled with the ability to assess and react to a situation are far beyond the abilities of the best computer flight controls. It's going to be a long time before we can safely exclude the human pilot.

    And yet, the vast majority of aircraft incidents are due to pilot error! It's a huge challenge to balance the strengths and limitations of Men and Machines. Maybe one day we'll get that right, or finally develop a smart computer.

  8. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    Go

    if they had the results since July 2015 they should be getting on with this.

    That said I thought they also scrapped the original "laughing gas and tire rubber" hybrid engine due to excess vibrations.

    That seemed a key part of the design so replacing it was not going to be trivial.

    BTW 15Km lets you put a much bigger nozzle on a rocket engine without fear of flow separation, which can put a few handy secs on the Isp (somewhere between 5 and 20 roughly).

    Let's hope the now return to a more steady pace and get to paying passenger time.

  9. Winkypop Silver badge
    Thumb Up

    Happy to help

    If they need some dead-weight, they can call me anytime.

    I can bring my own sick-bag.

  10. William 3 Bronze badge

    The guy seriously wants to avoid taxes.

    Will claim he residence is on Mars, therefore not eligible to pay your silly "Earth" Taxes.

    Whilst interfering in your silly "Earth" politics.

    The guys a tosser.

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