SpaceShipTwo Design and Pics Released

An anonymous reader writes "Designs and photos for Scaled Composites and Virgin Galactic's new suborbital spacecraft, SpaceShipTwo, and its carrier aircraft, WhiteKnightTwo, have been released." Lots of specs and numbers if you're interested in that sort of thing although nothing hugely detailed.

Comments

Nothing to see here

[Rei]

Oooh, yeay. Another joyride that contributes absolutely nothing to space exploration.

If you disagree with this statement, go ahead -- explain why you feel that a vehicle with this low delta-V, horrible ISP, and proportionally high mass that faces bare minimal reentry heating -- advances the state of the art.

Re:Nothing to see here

[Rei]

Really, the primary thing this project has going for it is that it is not funded by a government

So is your average bobble head doll manufacturer. And they're just as relevant to improving orbital spaceflight. If you want someone to cheer for, cheer for SpaceX, for Orbital Sciences, for SeaLaunch, for any of the private companies involved in *actual orbital spaceflight*.

Re:Nothing to see here

[Rei]

Scaled Composites is carefully putting together that vehicle with the high ISP engine, the thermal protection system, and all those other challenges. It just hasn't starting designing it yet.

Oh! Whew! For a minute there, I thought we were going to be talking about the remotely near future and cheering companies on for what they're *actually doing*. ;)

You need testing experience and infrastructure (note, for example, that SpaceShipTwo has its own flight simulator already)

Ooh, a flight simulator! Those are so hard to come by these days, after all. Don't tell me that they also have a 3d model! Perhaps they're being daring and actually doing CFD simulations. Oh, when will this mystical technology end?

What you are seeing is IMHO how a master would approach this problem.

Zen Student: Master, I must leave Osaka and journey to Tokyo. Which direction should I travel?

Zen Master: A tenth of the distance in the opposite direction.

And the student was enlightened.

You build up to it with progressively more sophisticated launch vehicles and extensive testing at each step.

"Progressively" implies continuity. There is no "progressive" approach to orbit from their current design.

Re:Nothing to see here

[Rei]

Sure, so long as the production model is completely unrelated to SS1/SS2..

Re:Nothing to see here

[Anonymous Coward]

As to my understanding of rocket science, well, for starters, maybe you should learn manners before you return to the discussion.

Maybe people who don't know what they're talking about shouldn't be involved in discussions about rocketry in the first place. If I walked into a hospital and started insisting that a certain medical procedure was necessary for a certain patient when I didn't know what I was talking about, I'd be rightfully kicked out.

Please do NOT click on this!

[Anonymous Coward]

Spaceship3 will take off when they find a way to ignite the methane gas emanating from the orifice of this structure.

Cool, but..

[91degrees]

What's it for? Is it only to get rich tourists to a high altitude to see what shape the earth is?

Uh.....why is this modded down?

[Anonymous Coward]

You might want to try clicking on that link before you mod him down.

Hey Moderators! LICK MY SALTY NUTSACK!

[Anonymous Coward]

If you click on the link, it takes you NOWHERE. So how is the parent a troll? Eat that, douche-bag!