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Some Virgin Galactic Customers Demand Money Back
schwit1 (797399) writes News reports suggest that — following last week's SpaceShipTwo crash — more than thirty of the seven hundred people who placed deposits with Virgin Galactic to fly on SpaceshipTwo have pulled out, demanding their money back. "In response to the claim that more than 30 customers are considering their position in the aftermath of the crash, a spokesperson for Virgin Galactic admitted a number of people have asked for their money back. 'We can confirm that less than three per cent of people have requested refunds,' the spokesman said." This is not a surprise, nor should it be. A company can only survive a crisis like this by responding honestly, quickly, and directly. If Virgin Galactic does this, finding the cause of the crash and fixing it, they will likely hold onto most of their customers. If they don't, those remaining customers will leave. This week's cancellations are the first immediate response to the crash. The future of the company, however, will be determined by what happens in the next six months.
Um, not exactly. Turbojet and Turbofan engines (and piston engines) all are devices that accelerate air toward the back to get forward thrust. The mass of the fuel does get included, but it's not the primary source of mass being pushed towards the rear. A rocket, accelerates the mass of the fuel and nothing else as the post you are replying to implies..
So, if you read carefully, the post you responded is indeed correct, even if (s)he didn't make the distinction of not including air.
"File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
It's precisely NTSB that pointed out the (deceased) co-pilot pulled the feather lock lever to OFF position.
But they also pointed out this should not have deployed the feathers on its own: another level is required to rotate them in position.
This points to a mechanical failure of sort but will take months to confirm.