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Rank: Administration        Groups: Registered, Forum Support Team, Administrators, Global Forum Support Team, Moderator, Official Builds Joined: 09/11/2012 Posts: 8,283 Points: 23,937 Location: East midlands
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Hi All,  It appears that the "Virgin" Galactic space flight plane has crashed. Not known as to the fate of the two crew at the time of this post. We can only hope. Virgin GalacticMore news will obviously follow soon. Regards delboy271155 (Derek) COME BACK GUY FAWKES "YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU"
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 Rank: Master  Groups: Registered
Joined: 25/03/2011 Posts: 1,027 Points: 3,075 Location: Lincolnshire
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Latest news........... Apparently the space craft was using a new engine in order to try and gain its pre flight qualification. It exploded during this flight. One pilot has been confirmed dead and one seriously injured.
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very sad news “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
-Mark Twain
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 Rank: Super-Elite  Groups: Registered
Joined: 31/05/2010 Posts: 5,679 Points: 17,011 Location: Wiltshire
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A project that should now be closed down completly in my view. From what I gave read over the years a project of no scientific value what so ever just created to make profits from people that gave more money than sense. Happy Modelling
BUILDING: Hachette Spitfire Mk 1A, Constructo Mayflower
SUBSCRIPTION COMPLETE (Awaiting building): USS Constitution, Sovereign of the Seas, 1:200 Bismarck (Hachette)
COMPLETED: Porsche 911, E-Type Jaguar, Lam Countach
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 Rank: Pro Groups: Joined: 24/08/2009 Posts: 48,827 Points: -13,348
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More than 800 people have already paid or put down deposits for a trip on SpaceShipTwo, which costs about $200,000 (£125,000) per person.
Would not surprise me if this is now the end of the line for this project.
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Rank: Super-Elite Groups: Registered
Joined: 17/12/2013 Posts: 3,982 Points: 11,974 Location: NY, USA
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they were testing a new engine with new fuel.one pilot was killed-not sure about the other.Very sad news
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Rank: Pro Groups: Joined: 24/08/2009 Posts: 48,827 Points: -13,348
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The other pilot is critical.
Branson and family were due to go on the inaugural flight in Spring 2015.
We forget that Space travel is still a very risky business, as was seen with the rocket explosion earlier this week.
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Rank: Super-Elite Groups: Registered
Joined: 17/12/2013 Posts: 3,982 Points: 11,974 Location: NY, USA
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it may well be the the FAA and even someone like OSHA shuts them down.
The only good thing for them is timing wise. The news will be focused on the midterm elections so they may be spared a lot of media attention which will likely increase their chance of surviving this.
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Rank: Master Groups: Registered
Joined: 25/03/2011 Posts: 1,027 Points: 3,075 Location: Lincolnshire
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Tomick wrote:The other pilot is critical.
Branson and family were due to go on the inaugural flight in Spring 2015.
We forget that Space travel is still a very risky business, as was seen with the rocket explosion earlier this week. Your right Mr T, although there are historical precedences for not taking ones entire family on such a risky endeavour. Spaceship Two owes its design more to the X-planes than the space shuttle. However like the Space-Shuttle many of the same mistakes are being made here with the regard to no provision for an escape system should something go wrong. This is even more important if you are carrying fare paying passengers. The Apollo space craft and Saturn V launch system had an enviable safety record. This was due to the fact that you had an escape ejection system to pull the command module clear, should anything go wrong with the booster phase of the launch or if there was a major failure at the critical moment of launch on the pad. We move to the Shuttle era and for the first time in their history the astronauts find that they have no ejection system. They had of course the basket and control line escape system should anything go wrong while the shuttle was on the pad. But in reality this was little more than a PR exercise, as it would serve no practical purpose in a real emergency. Any astronaut would tell you that there is nothing routine about space flight. This is why space flight is still the preserve of military trained pilots. Its not enough to just to go up, you have to have the training to know what to do if something should go wrong. The type of flights being envisaged by this craft are called sub-orbital flights. Enough height to get a few minutes of zero gravity and then the effect of gravity takes over and you land on the runway. It would seem though that the lessons of history are not being learned here though, with no prevision of an escape system. There is a reason that the wheel was not reinvented. 
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Tomick wrote:More than 800 people have already paid or put down deposits for a trip on SpaceShipTwo, which costs about $200,000 (£125,000) per person.
Would not surprise me if this is now the end of the line for this project. I hope they read the T & Cs on refund policy   “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
-Mark Twain
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Rank: Pro Groups: Joined: 24/08/2009 Posts: 48,827 Points: -13,348
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Rank: Super-Elite Groups: Registered
Joined: 17/12/2013 Posts: 3,982 Points: 11,974 Location: NY, USA
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And yet the National space society in USa issued a statement supporting Virgin and this society has tons of top aerospace engineers and astronauts as members.
I can understand the desire to keep space exploration going, but to put lifes at risk unnecessarily is crazy.
In USa you would have thought after Challenger that space should really be reserved for professionals
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