Spaceship Two Has Experienced An In-Flight 'Anomaly'

[Harley]

Virgin Galactic (http://www.virgingalactic.com/) is reporting on Twitter (https://twitter.com/virgingalactic/status/528233343599394817):


Spaceship Two has experienced an in-flight anomaly. Additional info and statement forthcoming.


There is an unconfirmed report that the spaceship has crashed with with one of the two pilots being killed.

[Harley]

31.10.14

STATEMENT FROM VIRGIN GALACTIC (http://www.virgingalactic.com/news/item/statement-from-virgin-galactic/)
.

Virgin Galactic’s partner Scaled Composites conducted a powered test flight of SpaceShipTwo earlier today. During the test, the vehicle suffered a serious anomaly resulting in the loss of the vehicle. Our first concern is the status of the pilots, which is unknown at this time. We will work closely with the relevant authorities to determine the cause of the accident and provide updates as soon as we are able to do so.

[Harley]

Doesn't look good . . .

http://storage8.static.itmages.com/i/14/1031/h_1414782970_8796133_44d56e3fe1.png

[Harley]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m7-rgGy5Qc

[Omni]

Is this one of the private space faring things? Virgin the record label? I'd think TPTB wouldn't want private people in space. Too hard to cover up the UFO reality up there. So things like this are predictable. I remember thinking to myself they will probably sabotage private space faring ships etc. Wish I posted it now...

[Harley]

One Fatality Confirmed

BREAKING (https://twitter.com/AP/status/528257820723257345): California Highway Patrol reports 1 fatality, 1 major injury after SpaceShipTwo accident.

[MorningSong]

Breakingnews.com tweets:


Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo incident, Oct. 31, 2014
1h
After launch, Space Ship Two has experienced an in-flight anomaly; additional info and statement forthcoming - @virgingalactic



Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo's 'anomaly' was reported 6 minutes after release from White Night in Mojave Desert, Calif. - @23ABCNews


Editor's note: According to NBC News, 2 pilots typically fly in SpaceShipTwo's cockpit during a test. There still isn't clarity on how many were aboard today.' - Tom


Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo has crashed east of Mojave, Calif., during test flight; status of crew uncertain - @KGETnews


SpaceShipTwo had trouble with engine burn, blew up, came down in pieces near Koehn Lake, Calif. - @spacecom


Virgin Galactic issues statement on the loss of SpaceShipTwo: 'Our first concern is the status of the pilots, which is unknown at this time.' - @DanLinden


Rescue crew near Mojave, Calif., seen carrying person on stretcher to chopper after crash of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo - @ABC7


Medical helicopter carrying 1 patient to Lancaster, Calif., for treatment in SpaceShipTwo crash - @KGETnews


Editor's note: fyi, Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo is designed to facilitate space tourism and reach an altitude of about 62 miles. More than 700 people have signed for rides when it is operational. - Tom


The SpaceShipTwo 'anomaly' occurred after the plane was released from its carrier airplane and fired up its rocket engine in flight - @NBCNews



Spazio, si schianta navicella Virgin Galactic. Piloti dispersi

New York, 31 ott. (TMNews) - La navicella SpaceShipTwo di Virgin Galactic si è schiantata dopo un'anomalia in volo durante un test nei cieli della California.

"La nostra prima preoccupazione è la condizione dei piloti, che non sono note in questo momento", si legge in una nota pubblicata da Virgin Galactic dopo che la navicella spaziale che dovrebbe portare turisti in orbita SpaceShipTwo ha avuto un problema durante un volo di prova. Intanto continuano le ricerche nel Mojave Desert, in California, dove sono stati individuati i resti del velivolo che si è schiantato. Ancora non chiare sono le sorti dei due piloti. I due si sarebbero paracadutati fuori dall'abitacolo secondo alcuni testimoni che avrebbero visto paracaduti nei cieli sopra sopra il deserto.

http://www.firstonline.info/a/2014/10/31/spazio-si-schianta-navicella-virgin-galactic-pilot/6eae1d60-123b-4bb0-a78c-c99a13e3ff7c

For those who don't know about Virgin Galactic:


Virgin Galactic is a British commercial spaceflight company within the Virgin Group with plans to provide suborbital spaceflights to space tourists, suborbital launches for space science missions, and orbital launches of small satellites. Further in the future, Virgin Galactic plans to provide orbital human spaceflights as well. Virgin Galactic's spacecraft is air launched from a 'buddy' aeroplane.

http://www.virgingalactic.com/

[Harley]

CNN Live Stream (http://www.playlivenews.com/2010/08/watch-cnn-news-live/)

[EWO]

Is this one of the private space faring things? Virgin the record label? I'd think TPTB wouldn't want private people in space. Too hard to cover up the UFO reality up there. So things like this are predictable. I remember thinking to myself they will probably sabotage private space faring ships etc. Wish I posted it now...

I was thinking the same thing last year when I first heard of Virgin Galactic.
I said to myself, no way will they let him go to space with a ship full of people with cameras.

[PurpleLama]

http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?76563-Spaceship-Two-Has-Experienced-An-In-Flight-Anomaly

[Bob]

One pilot confirmed dead, the other in serious condition.. reports from the Sheriff..

Spaceship2 (SS6EEN) had the incident.. quite broken apart in the Mojave.

No problems with the lifting vehicle which returned safely..

this is the Update -

Authorities located the pilot, who had ejected, and he was taken to the Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster with what were described as "moderate to major injuries." Kern County officials said the co-pilot suffered fatal injuries. It was not clear whether the co-pilot was able to eject.

The co-pilot killed in the test flight was identified Saturday as Michael Tyner Alsbury, 39, of nearby Tehachapi. The surviving pilot is Peter Siebold, 43, who parachuted to safety and was hospitalized.


this was Spaceship2 -
http://cbsnews1.cbsistatic.com/hub/i/r/2014/10/31/191a5670-d3bf-4187-b440-31a0ee1c1486/thumbnail/620x350/bd298ac9731971f958f084b7db0d6955/129486424.jpg

The test was the first powered test flight of the craft since January, and the first using a new hybrid rocket motor designed to increase performance and safety. It blew up within the first 6 seconds of ignition. At about 50,000 feet altitude is the report where it was powered up..

SpaceShip2 has been under development at Mojave Air and Spaceport in the desert northeast of Los Angeles.

Richard Branson says he is en-route to be with the team..


-------------------------

Earlier test flight Oct 7th 2014

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo rocket plane soared into the air and glided back down during a test flight on Tuesday. It was the first time the craft left the ground since a similar gliding test in August.

After SpaceShipTwo's release from its WhiteKnightTwo carrier plane, test pilots Pete Siebold of Scaled Composites and C.J. Sturckow of Virgin Galactic guided the craft back to California's Mojave Air and Space Port. "Today's flight brings spaceflight closer," Virgin Galactic tweeted after the landing.

Last weekend, during a session to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the final spaceflight by SpaceShipOne, the current plane's smaller predecessor, Virgin founder Richard Branson said his company was "on the verge" of sending passengers to the final frontier.

Branson has said he would take the inaugural passenger flight to space from Spaceport America in New Mexico early next year, but that timetable depends on progress in the test program. More than 700 would-be passengers already have made reservations at a price that currently stands at $250,000 per seat.


https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BzWxxY8CQAEQb3s.jpg:large

--------------------------

2007 the company lost 3 people in an engine test failure (http://www.knightsarrow.com/rockets/scaled-composites-accident/) on the ground. This week has been noted for ENGINE FAILURES in air/rocket vehicles.. Including an engine failure in a BeechCraft in Kansas (here (http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/30/us/kansas-wichita-airport-crash/index.html)).


http://knightsarrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/scaled-composites-explosion-01.jpg


On 26th July 2007, there was a fatal accident in which three people died. This accident happened during testing of a rocket system intended for use in Virgin Galactic’s passenger carrying space-craft; ‘Spaceship Two’.

The accident has caused much concern in the international rocket-engineering community and resulted in a lot of speculation.

Details of the accident have never been fully released nor published.

The investigation report from California Occupational Safety and Health Administration has recently been obtained under the California Public Information Act.

This is the first time that the rocket-engineering community has had an opportunity to better understand what occurred and the safety issues the accident raised.

Analysis of the information contained in the report raises grave concerns regarding the use of Nitrous Oxide Hybrid Rocket Motors in passenger flight, and explores the complexities and potential dangers of these rocket motors.

In particular the claim (made by Virgin Galactic) that Nitrous Oxide is ‘stable and benign’ is discussed.

[Muzz]

Threads merged :)

[Cidersomerset]

Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo aircraft crashes in Mojave desert

P2v8kkQfAIE


Published on 31 Oct 2014


The first aircraft specifically designed to send tourists into space has crashed.
Virgin Galactic’s latest test flight saw its craft come down in a Californian desert,
after suffering an 'in-flight anomaly'. RT's Marina Portnaya has more. Read More: http://on.rt.com/kg3wd5

[Tesla_WTC_Solution]

I have a thread in General Discussion tracking the Commercial Space Race and the accidents this year.
However people are liking this one; hoping people can see these events as possibly connected rather than a series of unfortunate events

....

Thanks AS ALWAYS Harley Hawkins for letting us know what's going on!!

[yelik]

Is this one of the private space faring things? Virgin the record label? I'd think TPTB wouldn't want private people in space. Too hard to cover up the UFO reality up there. So things like this are predictable. I remember thinking to myself they will probably sabotage private space faring ships etc. Wish I posted it now...

Yes, sounds very much like sabotage in front of our eyes.

[Bob]

News report from the company said these engines are safe (note, see post #11 above), part 1 of the ignition sequence worked, but "go at throttle-up" (hmmmmmm) failed paraphrasing a WHOLE bit..


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fb/SpaceShipOne_schematic.png/700px-SpaceShipOne_schematic.png

(Above is SpaceShipONE engine illustration)

2014 Change of fuel

In May 2014, Virgin Galactic announced a change to the fuel to be used in the SpaceShipTwo rocket engine.

The performance PAGE for SpaceShipTwo is located HERE (http://www.scaled.com/projects/test_logs/33/model_339_spaceshiptwo) - the engine firings performance stats are also shown there.

Rather than the rubber-based HTPB—HTPB engines had experienced serious engine stability issues on firings longer than approximately 20 seconds—the engine will now use a type of plastic called thermoplastic polyamide as the solid fuel.

This new plastic fuel is projected to have better performance (by several unspecified measures) and will allow SpaceShipTwo to make flights to a higher altitude.

As of May 2014, the new engine had already completed full-duration burns of over 60 seconds in ground tests on an engine test stand.


----------------------

Wiki update:
The accident aircraft was VSS Enterprise, N339SS, the sole Scaled Composites Model 339 SpaceShipTwo test vehicle.[1]

It was the first of the five SpaceShipTwo craft ordered by Virgin Galactic.[2]

Since October 2010, VSS Enterprise had successfully flown 20 captive flights while remaining attached to its WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft, 31 unpowered glide-to-landing tests and three rocket-powered test flights all exceeding 50,000 feet (15,000 m) and Mach 1.2.

Accident

On October 31, 2014, the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo, named VSS Enterprise, crashed in the Mojave Desert near Cantil, California, United States.[1][3][4]

The aircraft was performing a test flight from the Mojave Air and Space Port in which it was dropped from the WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft. It was the first powered flight for the aircraft in nine months.

The purpose of the flight was to test a redesigned rocket motor. The flight was the aircraft's 55th, and its 35th free flight. One observer said, "SpaceShipTwo dropped.

"From what I could tell, motor fired and then stopped then fired again."[5]

The space plane then exploded.

Witnesses reported seeing parachutes before the aircraft crashed and created a two-mile long debris field. The pilot was transported to a hospital with serious injuries, while the co-pilot was killed.[6]

The carrier aircraft, WhiteKnightTwo, landed safely.[7]


The accident was the first flight to use a solid fuel which replaced the previously used rubber-based binder with a plastic binder [8] based on a thermoplastic polyamide. [9]

The new fuel composition had successfully passed previous ground tests.[10]

This test was to preclude the 250k$ per seat, manned flights (https://web.archive.org/web/20141006081759/http://www.virgingalactic.com/booking/) by many celebrities who have signed up for civilian "men and women in space" promotion.

References:

1. "One dead in Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo test crash". BBC News Online. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
2. "Richard Branson and Burt Rutan Form Spacecraft Building Company". Space.com. July 27, 2005. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
3. "Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Crashes During Flight Test". October 31, 2014.
4. Durden, Rick (October 31, 2014). "Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo Crashes". AVweb. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
5. "One person dead as Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo rocket plane crashes on test flight". October 31, 2014.

6. "Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo rocket plane crashes". October 31, 2014.
7. "Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo crashes during test flight". Telegraph. October 31, 2014.
8. "Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Has Crashed, Possible Casualties". Gizmodo. October 31, 2014. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
9. Foust, Jeff (October 31, 2014). "SpaceShipTwo Destroyed in Fatal Test Flight Accident". Space News. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
10. "New Fuel to Boost SpaceShip Two". Aviation Week. May 24, 2014. Retrieved October 31, 2014.


-------------------------------

Scaled Composites built SpaceShip2 (HERE (http://www.scaled.com/))

About Space Ship Two - click HERE (http://www.scaled.com/projects/model_339_spaceshiptwo)

Virgin Galactic's website has been taken off-line with just an announcement - about the crash

VIEW HERE (https://web.archive.org/web/20141006210448/http://www.virgingalactic.com/our-team/) for the "Our Team Page"

Jon Turnipseed is the Vice President responsible for SAFETY for Virgin Galactic.


As Vice President of Safety, Jon Turnipseed defines and develops the operational safety framework for Virgin Galactic.

His responsibilities encompass all safety aspects of the company’s operations, from standard Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) compliance through space launch mission activities.

He also coordinates safety programs with Scaled Composites (http://www.scaled.com/), The Spaceship Company and with Spaceport America.

Prior to joining Virgin Galactic, Jon held key leadership roles with diverse aerospace organizations and companies, such as NASA, Computer Sciences Corporation, Integrated Science Solutions Inc., AlliedSignal Aerospace and Rockwell International.

He is a retired Major from the U.S. Air Force. His experience with aviation and space safety covers diverse areas including military and NASA aircraft, Space Shuttle recovery team for Edwards AFB landings, as well as being a Launch Director for launching large missiles and rockets on the Western Test Range.

Jon is a professional member of the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), and as a member of ASSE’s governmental affairs committee, he has twice testified before Congress.

He holds the highest formally accredited safety ranking as a Certified Safety Professional® and has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Iowa and a master’s degree in safety from Central Missouri State University.

Last 3 hot fire engine tests listed HERE (Virgin Galactic is pulling webpages ..)

Fire: 57
Date: 09 Oct 14

Objectives:
Fifty-seventh full scale flight design RM2 hot-fire. Continued evaluation of all systems and components:
- Pressurization
- Valve/Injector
- Fuel formulation and geometry
- Nozzle
- Structure
- Performance

Results:
All objectives completed.


Fire: 56
Date: 02 Oct 14

Objectives:
Fifty-sixth full scale flight design RM2 hot-fire. Continued evaluation of all systems and components:
- Pressurization
- Valve/Injector
- Fuel formulation and geometry
- Nozzle
- Structure
- Performance

Results:
All objectives completed.


Fire: 55
Date: 22 Sep 14

Objectives:
Fifty-fifth full scale flight design RM2 hot-fire. Continued evaluation of all systems and components:
- Pressurization
- Valve/Injector
- Fuel formulation and geometry
- Nozzle
- Structure
- Performance

Results:
All objectives completed.


-------------------------

NTSB update

The NTSB also evaluated the vehicle’s feathering mechanism, which is the unique technology that turns the wing booms into position for re-entry.

The NTSB indicated that the lock/unlock lever was pulled prematurely based on recorded speed at the time, and they have suggested that subsequent aerodynamic forces then deployed the feathering mechanism, which resulted in the in-flight separation of the wings and vehicle.

At this time, the NTSB investigation is still ongoing and no cause has yet been determined – these are purely facts based on initial findings. We are all determined to understand the cause of the accident and to learn all we can.


--------------------------

This suggests that the mechanism which would have moved these wing booms, possibly a motor was over-loaded by the wind on the wings, and caused them to catch in the wind (aerodynamic forces), and rotated for full resistance, ripping everything apart..

If the locking mechanism is supposed to prevent this deployment motor from rotating, it seems then it is known that the motor/gearbox may be weak, or insufficient to resist these outside forces.. thereby needing a locking mechanism to "freeze in place" and prevent motor/gearbox movement, and subsequent rotation/deployment of the feathering wing booms..

This if it is the case IS a deficient design, and is a flaw, relying on "pulling the pin" so to speak that holds premature movement from happening.. as demonstrated, pulling the pin resulted in catastrophic failure of the airframe and death of one of the pilots.

A positive breaking system, a stronger motor and gearbox would make sense, and spend the extra few bucks and add some weight.. Don't rely on some pin to block movement..

[Sidney]

I happen to find their repeated use of the word "anomaly", and anomaly in itself. Spidey senses are tingling, so is my BS meter.

[Harley]

A couple comments which caught me off guard:


Is this one of the private space faring things? Virgin the record label? I'd think TPTB wouldn't want private people in space. Too hard to cover up the UFO reality up there. So things like this are predictable. I remember thinking to myself they will probably sabotage private space faring ships etc. Wish I posted it now...


I was thinking the same thing last year when I first heard of Virgin Galactic.
I said to myself, no way will they let him go to space with a ship full of people with cameras.

Very briefly, here is some info to bring you all up to date:

From Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgin_Galactic):

Virgin Galactic is a British commercial spaceflight company within the Virgin Group with plans to provide suborbital spaceflights to space tourists, suborbital launches for space science missions, and orbital launches of small satellites. Further in the future, Virgin Galactic plans to provide orbital human spaceflights as well. Virgin Galactic's spacecraft is air launched from a 'buddy' aeroplane.

Founded: 2004
Operating bases: Spaceport America
Parent company: Virgin Group
Headquarters: Las Cruces, New Mexico
Key people : Richard Branson, George Whitesides (CEO), Steve Isakowitz (President)
Website: www.virgingalactic.com

SpaceShipOne has already successfully attained manned suborbital spaceflight three times in 2004:

Flight Date
15P Jun 21, 2004
16P Sep 29, 2004
17P Oct 4, 2004


SpaceShipOne (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceShipOne) is a suborbital air-launched spaceplane that completed the first manned private spaceflight in 2004. That same year, it won the US$10 million Ansari X Prize and was immediately retired from active service. Its mother ship was named "White Knight". Both craft were developed and flown by Mojave Aerospace Ventures, which was a joint venture between Paul Allen and Scaled Composites, Burt Rutan's aviation company. Allen provided the funding of approximately US$25 million.
Rutan has indicated that ideas about the project began as early as 1994 and the full-time development cycle time to the 2004 accomplishments was about three years. The vehicle first achieved supersonic flight on December 17, 2003, which was also the one-hundredth anniversary of the Wright Brothers' historic first powered flight. SpaceShipOne's first official spaceflight, known as flight 15P, was piloted by Mike Melvill. A few days before that flight, the Mojave Air and Space Port was the first commercial spaceport licensed in the United States. A few hours after that flight, Melvill became the first licensed U.S. commercial astronaut. The overall project name was "Tier One" which has evolved into Tier 1b with a goal of taking a successor ship's first passengers into space within the next few years.Virgin Galactic's

SpaceShipTwo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceShipTwo) was in development as the first of a planned fleet of five commercial spacecraft with a goal of carrying passengers [Tourists].

It had previously been announced that they were expecting to begin flying space tourists to suborbital altitudes in 2014.

[Rocky_Shorz]

the US had to use an old rocket engine made by Russia after the first ship exploded on the pad for resupplying the International Space Station...

are advanced engines being taken out to prevent the breakaway civilization from exiting earth?

Mars base destroyed...

all since the 19th

Ben said the Fed take over was on the 18th...

anyone seeing a pattern?

[ghostrider]

I would wager that secret government/military ops folks do not want the private sector making space travel the norm ... too many secrets revealed ... it is only my theory , I have no proof ...

¤=[Post Update]=¤


Is this one of the private space faring things? Virgin the record label? I'd think TPTB wouldn't want private people in space. Too hard to cover up the UFO reality up there. So things like this are predictable. I remember thinking to myself they will probably sabotage private space faring ships etc. Wish I posted it now...

I was thinking the same thing and posted it , then read YOUR WORDS , you beat me to it brother ... cheers ...

[Sith73]

sounds like sabotage to me

[Anchor]

sounds like sabotage to me

Me too.

TPTB have a lot to loose by people going into space who are not automatically censured on return about what they have seen and experienced.

[Atlas]

http://www.astronautinews.it/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Peter_Siebold-200x300.jpg

this undated photo released Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014, by Scaled Composites, shows Peter Siebold, the Director of Flight Operations at Scaled Composites. Siebold was piloting SpaceShipTwo on Friday, Oct. 31, 2014, when it exploded in flight. The surviving pilot was identified as Siebold, 43. Siebold was to undergo surgery, on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014, but there were no other details on his condition, Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood said. Siebold also is a veteran of Scaled's spaceship test program.

http://media.utsandiego.com/img/photos/2014/11/01/48b04b79f802372a640f6a7067000b7e_t180.JPEG?6ec45598a0efd272cf6d6631efc8bbae7a2ee918

this undated photo released Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014, by Scaled Composites, shows Michael Alsbury, who was killed while co-piloting the test flight of Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo on Friday, Oct. 31, 2014.

More: http://hosted2.ap.org/COGRA/d30f3f32e9d849979111e891380b64db/Article_2014-11-02-US-Space-Tourism-Co-Pilot/id-96b4c48c0fd04cd58f2ae15aa8d69ab9

[bogeyman]

Sir Richard Branson's space tourism company Virgin Galactic has been accused of ignoring a series of warnings that its $500 million rocket was unsafe for flight.

A number of senior aerospace engineers repeatedly voiced fears over the design of Sir Richard’s SpaceShipTwo and the safety protocols surrounding its testing.

The Telegraph has seen emails and other documents in the public domain — dating back several years, and as recently as last year — in which the engineers warned of the dangers of Virgin Galactic’s rocket engine system.

It also emerged on Saturday that three senior Virgin Galactic executives — the vice-president in charge of propulsion, the vice-president in charge of safety, and the chief aerodynamics engineer — had all quit the company in recent months.

http://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/branson-spaceship-explosion-the-missed-warnings/ar-BBcry2V?ocid=mailsignout

[ulli]

I wish this had happened a bit later down the road, when they had all the Bilderbergers on board.

[Hervé]

Sir Richard Branson's space tourism company Virgin Galactic has been accused of ignoring a series of warnings that its $500 million rocket was unsafe for flight.

[...]

I took the liberty to merge this new thread with previous ones on the subject of Spaceship Two to keep the subject tidy.

Thank you for your understanding.

Hervé

[Skyhaven]

I wish this had happened a bit later down the road, when they had all the Bilderbergers on board.

I wouldn't wish that towards anybody, regardless.

[Tesla_WTC_Solution]

The people who avoided being on the Titanic when it went down, deserved to be on Spaceship Two
Because the principle of karma suggests, the Universe serves like for like

I wait on the justice of God -- we can pray for our enemies and we can also pray for our enemies to fail.

@@


We should volunteer to test spacecraft, rally to support the industry,
and also try to perpetuate a sense of stewardship for what we find out there,
rather than exploitation...

if there is something to learn here,
it's not that we aren't ready
but that we have some messes to clean up before messing up another world....

:violin:

[Bob]

Not an engine explosion? NTSB says something caused a breakup.. This below is what they appear to have observed as to a contributing "source" in the crash:


"The tail lifted prematurely after the co-pilot changed the aerodynamic controls, the leader of the National Transportation Safety Board said Sunday night.


"A lever was supposed to be unlocked at Mach 1.4, allowing an action called "feathering" -- which lifts the tail to slow descent and create drag. Instead, a video in the cockpit and other data showed it was unlocked at Mach 1.0, NTSB Acting Chairman Christopher Hart told reporters.

"Pilot error is a possibility," Hart said. "We're a long way from finding cause."

"NTSB investigators found the plane’s fuel tanks, oxidizer tanks and engine Sunday among the wreckage, Hart said. All those parts were intact, with no signs of having burned through or of being breached, he said."

Worry that the new fuel change contributed to an engine explosion seems to be diminished.

--source LA Times

[Roisin]

It seems like too critical a step to be left for manual deployment.

[Skyhaven]

The people who avoided being on the Titanic when it went down, deserved to be on Spaceship Two
Because the principle of karma suggests, the Universe serves like for like

I wait on the justice of God -- we can pray for our enemies and we can also pray for our enemies to fail.

@@


We should volunteer to test spacecraft, rally to support the industry,
and also try to perpetuate a sense of stewardship for what we find out there,
rather than exploitation...

if there is something to learn here,
it's not that we aren't ready
but that we have some messes to clean up before messing up another world....

:violin:

It's not about 'them' in the play of karma, its about you. Don't underestimate the power of your thought forms. If you wish anybody harm, or you feel they deserve harm... then this alone does not go without effect.

I am not implying you should worry about the thoughts you are having... just don't act on them... this will make all the difference.

[ulli]

I wish this had happened a bit later down the road, when they had all the Bilderbergers on board.

I wouldn't wish that towards anybody, regardless.

I would never wish to hurt a single soul, but with what's been revealed lately
it appears that those control freaks are soulless beings who have taken over other people's bodies.
Anyway, it was only one of my irreverent quips, which I used to be famous for in my younger years.
But this situation asked for it.

[Bob]

Here's a couple thoughts from readers/posters on Space Flight Now dot Com

This gets into some of the technical stuff of interpreting "what went wrong"...

Ever see a nitromethane fueled race car spinning up it's wheels with the brakes on, to get the rubber to melt for more traction?

Seems that SpaceShipTwo may have put the brakes on prematurely, in a dense atmosphere... BUT supposedly all it was was the unlocking lever to put the brakes on was pulled, not the brakes itself.. Supposedly just unlocking it (early) should not have SET the BRAKES..

These stabilizers, according to a description are like looking at the wings on a shuttlecock, the little wing like thingies on the badminton's game "target" winged-ball..


http://www.onebadmintonacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Badminton1.jpg

are what keeps attitude control available for the vehicle, in a "tail up" position in thin air.. VERY thin air up at the top of the trajectory..

Deploying these stabilizers prior to in dense air and under full power is apparently a sure formula for inducing destruction of the airframe... too much resistance to a craft which is now accelerating way above the speed of sound and supposed to climb many 10's of thousands of feet UP.. These are to be deployed when the engine is off, and the downward arc is starting, to get attitude control, again, look at the badminton's shuttle-cock..

Here is what it looks like deployed on the SpaceShipTwo


http://spaceflightnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/ff01.jpg


Here is what it is supposed to look like under power:


pwm3leZu-O0


Here are a couple comments:


Pavel Langweil
I agree its uncertain whenever there usually is any delay between unlocking the safety and the actual feathering switch turned on, and if the engine is supposed to run at the safety procedure.

Assuming the pilot can recognize his flight phase(engine is still on/is not), he could only possibly have made a "timing" mistake and thought they were higher / faster than they were (almost before the fuel runs out) or "just" didnt think timing it made a big difference.

That would indicate the procedure is to unlock while still burning the engine.

I really can't imagine the pilot unlocking the safety in-burn if the training was to do this after the burn ends.

On the other hand, it seems weird that such safety should be unlocked while burning the engine at all.

I'd think the safety is to prevent exactly the tragedy that happened...to engage feathering while still in acceleration.

So if it was me I would instruct pilots to unlock safety only after engine is completely shut down. But what do I know, I'm not a spaceplane designer :)

So either the pilot made a big mistake of switching the safety off way earlier (in acceleration instead after shutdown, which to me would make more sense) or he made a smaller mistake of switching it off (the safety lock) a "little" earlier, which would made more sense considering the pilots skills.

In any case, this might or might not have contributed to triggering some hidden error in design turning the feathering on under unexpected conditions - and how much did it contribute will probably be in relation how much earlier did he trigger it on.

Or, it might be something completely else...we'll see in couple of days/weeks I think.


Michael Schüffler
As far as I know the feathering system isn't supposed to deploy until the plane has reached maximum altitude, certainly not while it's still accelerating in fairly dense atmosphere. It's supposed to accelerate to Mach 3 or 4, but keep in mind that this is in the upper atmosphere where the speed of sound is far lower.

The purpose of the feathers is to create drag at the rear of the vehicle to decelerate and keep it stable during reentry, essentially like the feathers on a shuttlecock.

Deploying a large control surface like that at trans- or supersonic speed in dense atmosphere, where aircraft are notoriously sensitive, is bad. Any disturbance in that flight regime, the vehicle will lose control and be torn to shreds by the huge aerodynamic forces. Which is sadly what appears to have happened here.




It seems like too critical a step to be left for manual deployment.