Ad astra per aspera

[Umbran]

CNN (and several other agencies) reports that Virgin Galactic's Space Ship Two has suffered an anomaly in a test flight. One pilot dead, another injured.

This has not been a good week for rocketry.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/31/us/spaceshiptwo-incident/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

http://www.kerngoldenempire.com/new...-mojave-test-fli/11401/64VdLqg21EWpK1vuptvTsg

 

[Morrus]

Oh, no. The second launch failure in a week. And this one was manned.

 

[Umbran]

To be clear, it may not be a "launch failure". They are calling it an "anomaly in flight" - it could be that something bad happened on their way back down, well after the rocket fired for launch.

This distinction merely for the sake of accuracy. It still sucks.

 

[Janx]

that is sad to hear. I guess the good thing is somebody survived. I don't think that's ever happened with a spacecraft before.

 

[Umbran]

I was being optimistic, I'm afraid.

"At 10:07 a.m. PT, Virgin Galactic tweeted that SpaceShipTwo had been released from WhiteKnightTwo and ignited its rockets:

Minutes later, the in-flight anomaly was reported. Witness reportedly saw SpaceShipTwo exploded mid-flight following rocket ignition, after which it crashed into the desert. According to continued updates from Virgin Galactic, the anomaly has resulted "in the loss of SpaceShipTwo.""

http://io9.com/virgin-galactics-suffers-in-flight-anomaly-possible-ca-1653377749

They also mention unconfirmed reports of witnesses seeing two parachutes after the anomaly.

That article has several images of debris. Poor little ship...

 

[Umbran]

Now a correction to the above report. It seems the ship did not explode.

One eyewitness to the event, Doug Messier, managing editor of Parabolicarc.com, saw SpaceShipTwo's engine sputter when it first came to life during the test flight, after WhiteKnightTwo released it.

"It looked like the engine didn't perform properly," Messier told Space.com's Tariq Malik. "Normally it would burn and it would burn for a certain period of time. It looked like it may have started and then stopped and then started again."

http://www.space.com/27618-virgin-galactic-spaceshiptwo-crash-kills-pilot.html

 

[Nellisir]

Apparently they were testing a new rocket fuel mix? Worked well in ground tests, but maybe not so hot in the air. :/

 

[Umbran]

Maybe. It will be a while before we know for sure.

 

[Nellisir]

Maybe. It will be a while before we know for sure.

Well, we know they were trying it out. We don't know that's the problem.

During the nine months since the previous rocket-powered test in January, Virgin Galactic switched SpaceShipTwo's fuel mixture from a rubber-based compound to a plastic-based mix — in hopes that the new formulation would boost the hybrid rocket engine's performance.

Mickey said engines using the new type of fuel had been thoroughly tested on the ground. The final pre-flight qualification engine firing took place earlier this month. Friday's test marked the first time the new fuel was used in flight, but Mickey said "we expected no anomalies with the motor today."

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/vi...spaceshiptwo-crashes-1-dead-1-injured-n238376

 

[Umbran]

Well, we know they were trying it out. We don't know that's the problem.

Exactly. I've already seen a whole lot of speculation on the fuel. While they should look at it, that's by no means the only thing they need to review.