SpaceShipTwo

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Parabolicarc.com‏ @spacecom 18 мин. назад

#SpaceShipTwo Unity powered flight no. 2. Expect 30s flight same as last time. Mayne a bit more altitude. Got to 82k ft last time. #VirginGalactic #RichardBranson #INeedCofee

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Virgin Galactic‏Подлинная учетная запись @virgingalactic 50 сек. назад

VMS Eve & VSS Unity are headed out to the runway for final checks

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Virgin Galactic‏Подлинная учетная запись @virgingalactic 1 мин. назад

Today's flight is planned to be a partial duration rocket burn that will test a rearward center of gravity closer to the commercial configuration

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Virgin Galactic‏Подлинная учетная запись @virgingalactic 1 мин. назад

We have take-off. VMS Eve & VSS Unity have taken to the skies and have begun their climb

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TheSpaceshipCompany‏Подлинная учетная запись @TheSpaceshipCo 59 сек. назад

VMS Eve and VSS Unity starting their climb



Virgin Galactic‏Подлинная учетная запись @virgingalactic 2 мин. назад

VMS Eve & VSS Unity take to the skies

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Virgin Galactic‏Подлинная учетная запись @virgingalactic 1 мин. назад

Today is 13th flight for VSS Unity #SpaceShipTwo, 249th for VMS Eve #WhiteKnightTwo

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Virgin Galactic‏Подлинная учетная запись @virgingalactic 9 сек. назад

VSS Unity is flying free, having separated cleanly from VMS Eve. #SpaceShipTwo #WhiteKnightTwo

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Virgin Galactic‏Подлинная учетная запись @virgingalactic 36 сек. назад

VSS Unity's rocket motor has been ignited for today's planned partial duration burn. Pointing upwards and accelerating fast

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Virgin Galactic‏Подлинная учетная запись @virgingalactic 58 сек. назад

Pilots have shut down rocket motor and tail-booms are about to be raised into the #SpaceShipTwo "feathered" re-entry position

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Virgin Galactic‏Подлинная учетная запись @virgingalactic 35 сек. назад

With the feathers lowered, VSS Unity is turning back to Mojave for the glide home

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Parabolicarc.com‏ @spacecom 16 сек. назад

Looked like good burn from here.

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TheSpaceshipCompany‏Подлинная учетная запись @TheSpaceshipCo 31 сек. назад

#SpaceShipTwo has touched down! Congratulations to Dave Mackay and Mark "Forger" Stucky #SpaceShipTwo

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Virgin Galactic‏Подлинная учетная запись @virgingalactic 2 мин. назад

Smooth landing for VSS Unity. Congratulations to our pilots Dave Mackay and Mark "Forger" Stucky #SpaceshipTwo

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Parabolicarc.com‏ @spacecom 16 мин. назад

Up over 100k...

5 мин. назад

100,000 feet.....

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Virgin Galactic‏Подлинная учетная запись @virgingalactic 3 мин. назад

VMS Eve has touched down. Thanks to our pilots CJ Sturckow, Nicola Pecile, and flight test engineer Colin Bennet for completing today's test flight

56 сек. назад

Back on the ground

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Parabolicarc.com‏ @spacecom 42 сек. назад

To clarify, I understand they made it over 100,000 FEET. 30.5 KM or 18.9 miles. #SpaceShipTwo #virgingalactic

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 virgingalacticПодтвержденный

View this post on Instagram

virgingalactic #VSSUnity has landed safely from her supersonic flight, piloted by Dave Mackay and Mark "Forger" Stucky. Today marks our second powered test flight for #VSSUnity, just 2 months after the first - congrats to the team for the quick turnaround! Read more about today's flight on our website #VirginGalactic#TheSpaceshipCompany#TogetherWeOpenUpSpace

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http://www.virgingalactic.com/articles/Richard-Branson-Welcomes-VSS-Unity-Home-from-Second-Supersonic-Flight/

MAY 29, 2018

Richard Branson Welcomes VSS Unity Home from Second Supersonic Flight

Richard Branson joined Virgin Galactic and The Spaceship Company teams this morning, on the Mojave Air and Space Port flight line, to witness VSS Unity's second successful, supersonic, rocket powered test flight.

"It was great to see our beautiful spaceship back in the air and to share the moment with the talented team who are taking us, step by step, to space" Branson said. "Seeing Unity soar upwards at supersonic speeds is inspiring and absolutely breathtaking. We are getting ever closer to realizing our goals. Congratulations to the whole team!"

The focus of today's flight was to expand our understanding of the spaceship's supersonic handling characteristics and control system's performance with vehicle parameters that were closer to the ultimate commercial configuration. This involved shifting the vehicle's center of gravity rearward via the addition of passenger seats and related equipment. The rocket motor burned for the planned 31 seconds and propelled Unity to a speed of Mach 1.9 and an altitude of 114,500 ft. As will be the case for future commercial flights, Unity's unique re-entry  was deployed for the initial descent before the final glide home to a smooth runway landing.

Спойлер

Once in commercial service, Virgin Galactic's spaceships are designed to be turned around and flown at a higher frequency than has traditionally been the case for human spaceflight. The flight today brought that vision a little closer, coming less than two months after Unity's first rocket powered flight. Great credit goes to the engineering and maintenance teams for working through the first flight's data diligently and efficiently before preparing Unity again for flight.

Richard Branson was on the runway tarmac to greet this flight's VSS Unity pilots Dave Mackay and Mark "Forger" Stucky. In addition to the pilots of VSS Unity, Branson recognized CJ Sturckow and Nicola Pecile, the pilots of the carrier aircraft, VMS Eve.

"Today we saw VSS Unity in her natural environment, flying fast under rocket power and with a nose pointing firmly towards the black sky of space" he said. "The pathway that Unity is forging is one that many thousands of us will take over time, and will help share a perspective that is crucial to solving some of humanity's toughest challenges on planet Earth."

The teams will now conduct flight data review for this flight and continue planning preparations for the next flight.

While in Mojave, Richard Branson also toured the facilities of The Spaceship Company (TSC), Virgin's Galactic sister company. TSC is focused on manufacturing next generation aerospace vehicles, with a primary focus on new spaceships for Virgin Galactic's future fleet. Branson viewed the next two spaceships on the TSC's manufacturing line, as well as the production facilities for TSC's spaceship rocket motors.

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http://tass.ru/kosmos/5246656

Virgin Galactic провела успешное испытание туристического космического корабля

Космос | 29 мая, 21:13 UTC+3

НЬЮ-ЙОРК, 29 мая. /ТАСС/. Американская компания Virgin Galactic успешно провела во вторник очередное испытание своего туристического суборбитального космического корабля SpaceShipTwo модели Unity. Об этом компания сообщила в своем Twitter.

Полет состоялся в небе над пустыней Мохаве в штате Калифорния. В ходе испытаний корабль был поднят в воздух на специальном самолете-носителе. После отделения SpaceShipTwo пилоты на некоторое время включили ракетные двигатели. После этого аппарат спланировал на Землю, совершил мягкую посадку.

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В компании уточнили, что это уже 13-й испытательный полет Unity. Судя по фотографиям, размещенным компанией в Twitter, за полетом со стартовой площадки наблюдал основатель и председатель совета директоров Virgin Galactic Ричард Брэнсон.

Модель Unity была представлена в феврале прошлого года, ее первый пробный полет состоялся 8 сентября. Корабль пришел на смену разбившейся в октябре 2014 года в пустыне Мохаве предыдущей модели под названием Enterprise. Согласно выводам специалистов, которые изучали обстоятельства ЧП, одной из причин катастрофы Enterprise при выполнении испытательного полета стала ошибка пилота. В результате происшествия один из испытателей погиб, другой получил травмы.

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Jonathan McDowell‏Подлинная учетная запись @planet4589 2 мин. назад

The @virgingalactic Spaceship Two VSS Unity made its second rocket flight in the stratosphere May 29, reaching 35 km - compared to 26 km on the previous flight Apr 5.