Engineering News Blog

Engineering News

Latest news of interest to engineers. Sourced from GlobalSpec's Engineering News

Previous in Blog: Zombie Rat Heart Muscle Powers Robot   Next in Blog: Turn Your TV Into a Huge Mood Light
Close
Close
Close
13 comments
Rate Comments: Nested

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Officially Unveiled

Posted January 24, 2008 8:55 AM

From OhGizmo!:

Isn't she a beauty? This is Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo, the solar system's first commercial passenger spaceship that we know of. It was just announced on Wednesday, along with its mothership, White Knight 2. SpaceShipTwo is designed to ferry 6 civilian passengers and 2 crewmembers 68 miles above the surface of the earth, where they'll spend a few precious minutes in weightlessness, drinking in the view, before descending back to the ground at a peak force of 6 gravities over 20 seconds. All for just $200,000.

Read the whole article

Reply

Interested in this topic? By joining CR4 you can "subscribe" to
this discussion and receive notification when new comments are added.
Guru
Engineering Fields - Electrical Engineering - New Member

Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: El Lago, Texas, USA
Posts: 2639
Good Answers: 65
#1

Re: Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Officially Unveiled

01/24/2008 4:32 PM

Great video. I love the styling on that thing - and that they named it VSS Enterprise.

Reply
Guru
Popular Science - Weaponology - New Member United Kingdom - Member - New Member

Join Date: May 2007
Location: Harlow England
Posts: 16512
Good Answers: 670
#2

Re: Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Officially Unveiled

01/24/2008 5:55 PM

Brilliant, excellent, this is free enterprise and capitalism at it's best, (even if it did need a helping hand from the X prize) Great to see an engineering team pushing the boundaries with new daring design. Lets hope it's a huge success.
We want more engineering like this and less bureaucracy and bean counting, hopefully it will inspire new generations of engineers....

What do you want to be when you grow up sonny? What do we want the reply to be... accountant? Estate agent? NO! Space Pilot? Yes
Bravo.

Del

__________________
health warning: These posts may contain traces of nut.
Reply
Guru
Engineering Fields - Electrical Engineering - New Member

Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: El Lago, Texas, USA
Posts: 2639
Good Answers: 65
#3
In reply to #2

Re: Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Officially Unveiled

01/25/2008 10:20 AM

The X Prize was just good publicity. Paul Allen had all the bucks he needed to build SS1. This thing will be everywhere when they get it up and running - NOVA, Discovery Channel, U2 music videos...

Reply
Guru
Engineering Fields - Retired Engineers / Mentors - New Member

Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Brecksville, OH
Posts: 1621
Good Answers: 18
#4

Re: Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Officially Unveiled

01/25/2008 3:54 PM

Great video and love the design. I'll have to see if I have an extra $200,000 when they get it built. It would be a heck of a ride.

__________________
"Consensus Science got us into this mess, then why can't it get us out?" : Rephrase of Will Rogers Comment
Reply
Guru
Popular Science - Weaponology - New Member United Kingdom - Member - New Member

Join Date: May 2007
Location: Harlow England
Posts: 16512
Good Answers: 670
#5
In reply to #4

Re: Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Officially Unveiled

01/25/2008 5:06 PM

$200,000? I'll have to look down the back of the sofa...

__________________
health warning: These posts may contain traces of nut.
Reply Off Topic (Score 5)
Guru

Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Earth. England/America -the birthplace of the C. S. A. - anywhere I imagine -home.
Posts: 773
Good Answers: 33
#6

Re: Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Officially Unveiled

01/25/2008 10:25 PM

I have fantasized about this since I was a teenager, unfortunately I was born too soon and am too old to participate, so I will cheer from the sidelines. Space must become a place for free enterprise, because anti-waste politicians will not support the development and use of space and space travel.

__________________
No technology is so obsolete that it won't work. A stone knife still can kill you as dead as a laser.
Reply
Guru
New Zealand - Member - Interested in everything- see my Profile please APIX Pilot Plant Design Project - Member - Member Engineering Fields - Electrical Engineering - Member Engineering Fields - Power Engineering - Member Engineering Fields - Civil Engineering - Member Hobbies - Musician - Autoharp and Harmonica Hobbies - Hunting - Member Hobbies - Fishing - Member

Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Christchurch, (The Garden City), South Island, New Zealand
Posts: 4395
Good Answers: 230
#7

Re: Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Officially Unveiled

01/30/2008 4:04 AM

This "space-ship with noisy and un-eco-friendly rockets" technology is already far out of date.

Haven't they thought of using a stargate?

Kind Regards....

__________________
"The number of inventions increases faster than the need for them at the time" - SparkY
Reply
Guru
Engineering Fields - Electrical Engineering - New Member

Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: El Lago, Texas, USA
Posts: 2639
Good Answers: 65
#8
In reply to #7

Re: Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Officially Unveiled

01/30/2008 10:32 AM
Reply Off Topic (Score 5)
Guru
New Zealand - Member - Interested in everything- see my Profile please APIX Pilot Plant Design Project - Member - Member Engineering Fields - Electrical Engineering - Member Engineering Fields - Power Engineering - Member Engineering Fields - Civil Engineering - Member Hobbies - Musician - Autoharp and Harmonica Hobbies - Hunting - Member Hobbies - Fishing - Member

Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Christchurch, (The Garden City), South Island, New Zealand
Posts: 4395
Good Answers: 230
#9
In reply to #8

Re: Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Officially Unveiled

01/30/2008 3:37 PM

Good find bhankiii

But does the Lego stargate actually work

Kind Regards....

__________________
"The number of inventions increases faster than the need for them at the time" - SparkY
Reply Off Topic (Score 5)
Guru
Engineering Fields - Electrical Engineering - New Member

Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: El Lago, Texas, USA
Posts: 2639
Good Answers: 65
#10
In reply to #9

Re: Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Officially Unveiled

01/30/2008 3:42 PM

It works exactly as good as the one on the show.

Reply Off Topic (Score 5)
Guru

Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Cypress Calif
Posts: 741
Good Answers: 23
#11

Re: Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Officially Unveiled

03/08/2008 12:43 PM

A wonderful machine, beyond providing the experience for the passengers, I'm sure it will quicken the pace of advancement in the entire field and provide valuable lessons to be used in the next generation of spacecraft.


Now if they can only reduce the cost to $29.95 I may be able to purchase a place on board.

To heck with that the been trying to reach escape velocity for years. The Road Runner seats six, is ready to go now. Seats for sale, need to be prepaid, have to purchase a bigger nitrous unit and construct a ramp.

__________________
"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man" George Shaw
Reply
Guru

Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Cypress Calif
Posts: 741
Good Answers: 23
#12
In reply to #11

Re: Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Officially Unveiled

03/08/2008 1:17 PM

Oops I see another typo. Forgot to mention opening bid for a seat is only $1000 US. Bound to sell out fast. Make your deposit now.

__________________
"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man" George Shaw
Reply Off Topic (Score 5)
Guru
New Zealand - Member - Interested in everything- see my Profile please APIX Pilot Plant Design Project - Member - Member Engineering Fields - Electrical Engineering - Member Engineering Fields - Power Engineering - Member Engineering Fields - Civil Engineering - Member Hobbies - Musician - Autoharp and Harmonica Hobbies - Hunting - Member Hobbies - Fishing - Member

Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Christchurch, (The Garden City), South Island, New Zealand
Posts: 4395
Good Answers: 230
#13
In reply to #12

Re: Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Officially Unveiled

03/08/2008 11:23 PM

Hello YWROADRUNNER

What percentage are your receiving, as sales agent ?

Kind Regards....

__________________
"The number of inventions increases faster than the need for them at the time" - SparkY
Reply
Reply to Blog Entry 13 comments
Copy to Clipboard

Users who posted comments:

agua_doc (1); bhankiii (4); Sparkstation (3); Taganan (1); user-deleted-1105 (2); YWROADRUNNER (2)

Previous in Blog: Zombie Rat Heart Muscle Powers Robot   Next in Blog: Turn Your TV Into a Huge Mood Light

Advertisement