Questions tagged [virgin-galactic]
Virgin Galactic is a commercial space tourism company run by Sir Richard Branson. The launch system they have developed involves White Knight Two (carrier aircraft) and Space Ship Two (rocket powered craft carrying tourists). Use for questions about the spacecraft portion only. Questions about the aircraft functions may be asked on Aviation.SE
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Does Virgin Galactic experience real weightlessness?
Does Virgin Galatic go into space high enough to experience real weightlessness?
A CNBC article states it's more microgravity centrifugal:
The spacecraft essentially does a slow back flip at the edge ...
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Does the US government plan to issue "Astronaut Wings" for anyone passing 80 km forever?
Related and potentially helpful here: What kind of badge will tourists who performed a sub-orbital spaceflight receive? but here I'm asking specifically about the US government's future plans.
The BBC'...
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What kind of badge will tourists who performed a sub-orbital spaceflight receive?
I have read that tourists who performed a sub-orbital spaceflight with Virgin Galactic will receive some kind of astronaut badge. However, on the Wikipedia page on the United States Astronaut Badge, ...
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Why does Blue Origin claim Virgin Galactic's spaceplane doesn’t have an escape system whereas Virgin Galactic's passengers are wearing parachutes?
https://twitter.com/blueorigin/status/1413521631717122059 (mirror):
vs. https://space.stackexchange.com/a/54072/1111 by John Thomas:
[Virgin Galactic's passengers] do appear to be wearing parachutes....
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Could the 'anomaly' in the recent Virgin Galactic crash impact the other SpaceShipTwos?
I just found out about today's horrific crash of one of Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo spaceplanes, the VSS Enterprise. It apparently was due to an 'anomaly.' I realize that details are still ...
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Why did Virgin Galactic switch back to HTPB after one launch using thermoplastic polyamide (i.e. nylon)?
A subsection of Second-generation engine in Wikipedia's article on RocketMotorTwo says:
New fuel formulation
Rather than use rubber-based HTPB in the solid portion of the hybrid rocket motor—which ...
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Do the passengers in Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity spacecraft have a parachute or some other way to escape the spacecraft if needs be?
Do the passengers in Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity spacecraft have a parachute or some other way to escape the spacecraft if needs be?
In the VSS Enterprise crash that occurred on October 31, 2014, the ...
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Why did Virgin Galactic choose N2O / HTPB as its fuel?
It seems very exotic compared to something like RP1 or Methane, especially for a vehicle which should be flying a lot and around civilians. Why was this choice made?
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Why did Virgin Galactic decide to use a hybrid engine vs liquid on their space ship?
To me, it seems like their business case is very dependent on rapid reuse. With this in mind, using a hybrid engine that would need to be replaced every flight seems very counter intuitive vs a liquid ...
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Why did Unity 22 flight plan call for such a large horizontal velocity during its weightless phase? (1085 kph) Why not go straight up instead?
A quick check of the videos shows Unity 22's apogee of over 86 km, and at that point the displayed speed is 674 mph or about 1085 kph or 18.1 km per minute. During the four minutes of being weightless ...
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Unity 22's ground track; which direction was it moving horizontally at 1085 kph during its weightless phase?
update: According to The Newyorker's The Red Warning Light on Richard Branson’s Space Flight there is FR24 data available.
A quick check of the videos shows Virgin Galactic's Unity 22's apogee of ...
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Are Virgin Galactic tourists asked to take a 6 to 8G centrifuge test to qualify, and if so, what's the point?
Regarding sub-orbital spaceflights with Virgin Galactic,
claims that:
Allegedly some travelers were asked to take a 6 to 8G centrifuge test to qualify
Is that true, ...
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What does it take for a craft to perform a flight simulating weightlessness without having to fly a steep parabola/ellipse?
Alright, I'll try to ask a better question on what I mean so that we figure out how one becomes weightless in a craft without having to fly steep parabolae. Other than flying parabolae or nose-down ...
user35272
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When is the SpaceShipTwo dropped from mothership?
When (after launching the mothership) is the VSS Unity dropped from the mothership and at which altitude?
I mean in space flights (above 80 km)
More or less, of course
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