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Recent News

March 7, 2023

LOWERING COST OF SPACE TRAVEL Read More


February 17, 2023

VMS EVE TAKES FLIGHT!! Read More


August 2, 2022

COMING SOON!! ASTRONAUT CAMPUS & TRAINING FACILITY Read More


July 27, 2022

SPACE PERSPECTIVE UNVEILS PATENTED CAPSULE DESIGN Read More


July 6, 2022

VIRGIN GALACTIC ANNOUNCES NEXT GENERATION MOTHERSHIPS Read More


April 12, 2022

SPACE PERSPECTIVE UNVAILS IMAGES OF BALLOON CAPSULE Read More


October 25, 2021

BLUE ORIGIN & SIERRA SPACE DEVELOP SPACE STATION Read More


October 8, 2021

BLUE ORIGIN ASTRONAUT TRAINS WITH DEPREZ TRAVEL Read More


October 1, 2021

DEPREZ CHARTERS ZERO-G AIRCRAFT TO ROCHESTER Read More


August 5, 2021

VIRGIN GALACTIC ANNOUNCES Q2 FINANCIAL RESULTS FOR 2021 Read More


July 15, 2021

DEPREZ TRAVEL AND RMSC ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP Read More


July 15, 2021

MUSK BOOKED SEAT ON VIRGIN GALACTIC Read More


June 25, 2021

FAA OK'S VIRGIN GALACTIC TO LAUNCH CUSTOMERS TO SPACE Read More


June 18, 2021

SPACE PERSPECTIVE CONFIRMS SUCCESSFUL TEST FLIGHT Read More


May 22, 2021

VIRGIN GALACTIC'S FIRST HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT FROM NM Read More


February 25, 2021

VIRGIN GALACTIC ANNOUNCES Q4 HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2020 Read More


November 23, 2020

MEET PILOT CJ STURCKOW Read More


October 27, 2020

VIRGIN GALACTIC HIRES 2 NEW PILOTS Read More


June 22, 2020

VIRGIN GALACTIC SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH NASA Read More


May 1, 2020

VSS UNITY SPACESHIPTWO GOES SOLO IN NEW MEXICO Read More


February 25, 2020

ONE SMALL STEP BEGINS YOUR JOURNEY TO SPACE Read More


February 13, 2020

VSS UNITY MOVES TO SPACEPORT AMERICA Read More


October 16, 2019

YOUR SPACE SUITS HAVE BEEN REVEALED Read More


August 22, 2019

SPACEPORT AMERICA: UNVEILING NEW AREAS Read More


February 22, 2019

VSS UNITY RETURNS TO SPACE WITH 3 ONBOARD Read More


January 7, 2019

NEW MOMENT IN SPACE HISTORY Read More


December 13, 2018

VIRGIN GALACTIC'S VSS UNITY REACHES SPACE Read More


December 7, 2018

ORION SPAN - DEMOCRATIZATION OF SPACE STARTS TODAY! Read More


July 26, 2018

VG ANNOUNCES VSS UNITY BREAKS MACH 2 Read More


July 6, 2018

VG ANNOUNCES FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT WITH ITALY Read More


April 9, 2018

SPACE HOTEL EYES 2021 LAUNCH DATE Read More


April 5, 2018

ORION SPAN ANNOUNCES WORLD'S 1st LUXURY SPACE HOTEL Read More


April 5, 2018

VSS UNITY'S FIRST POWERED TEST FLIGHT Read More


August 4, 2017

UPDATE: VSS UNITY 6th GLIDE FLIGHT Read More


May 1, 2017

VSS UNITY'S FIRST FEATHER FLIGHT Read More


December 3, 2016

VSS UNITY COMPLETES HER FIRST GLIDE FLIGHT Read More


September 8, 2016

VIRGIN GALACTIC IS IN THE AIR AGAIN! Read More


May 22, 2015

VG FIRST MAJOR MILESTONE IN RETURN TO FLIGHT PLAN Read More


Dec 5, 2014

NASA LAUNCHES ORION SPACECRAFT - FIRST STEP TO MARS Read More


May 23, 2014

VG VIRGIN GALACTIC ROCKET MOTOR MILESTONE Read More


January 10, 2014

VG 3rd POWERED TEST FLIGHT SUCESSFUL Read More


September 5, 2013

VG ACHIEVES SECOND SUPERSONIC FLIGHT Read More


May 29, 2013

VG SEAT NEXT TO LEONARDO DICAPRIO AUCTIONED FOR $1.5 MILLION Read More


May 29, 2013

CURRAN INTERVIEWED BY DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE Read More


June 28, 2012

SPACE TOURISM IS HERE! NY TIMES INTERVIEWS CRAIG CURRAN Read More


Read Archives


VMS EVE TAKES FLIGHT!!

 

VMS EVE RETURNS TO THE SKIES!!

 

February 17, 2023 - Mojave, California - Following many months of enhancements and modifications, the mothership successfully completed the first test flight today in Mojave, California. This is the culmination of a team-wide effort. Virgin Gilactic is quite excited at reaching this milestone.

The objective of the test flight was to check VMS Eve’s systems and help validate the performance of the changes Virgin Galactic has made to the vehicle. As it may be an area of interest to many, Virgin Gailactic's Senior Flight Test Director, Kelly Latimer, has answered a few questions about how and why they put our mothership through her paces. When VMS Eve emerges from the hangar, Eve is handed over to the Flight Test team, under the direction of Senior Flight Test Director, Kelly Latimer. As one of our test pilots, Kelly has flown Eve many times, which is why we asked her a few questions about how and why we put our mothership through its paces.

Q: Beyond kicking the tires and flying a couple of trips around the pattern, why do you need to test Eve and gather so much data?

A primary reason for doing flight test on Eve is to inform our models. We have the ability to model our vehicle in terms of aerodynamics, loads and systems. Our engineers are able to use these computer models to predict how the vehicle will perform in different phases of flight. So, for flight tests, we actually go out and fly very specific conditions, gather data from the vehicle, such as airspeed, altitude, and various other aircraft parameters. Then the engineers look at the data and determine things like; to what degree did the wing bend or not bend? Our engineers take all of that information and update their models because, although we don’t fly every possible situation, our computer models can and do!

And we also conduct what’s referred to as a “functional check flight”. It’s a standard practice in the aviation industry and is always a key step after maintenance or modifications are performed on the aircraft. We check everything on the ground and then again in flight, during different maneuvers at different altitudes and temperatures – especially extremely cold temps.

Q: How do you get all that data from Eve? Is it like hooking her up to an EKG?

It is something like that, yes! As an example, we use “strain gauges,” which are devices that measure stresses and strains. We have a number of strain gauges, and we put them on specific areas of the wing, the landing gear, the tail surfaces, and along the fuselage. They measure different areas on the aircraft, and when we do a maneuver that should stress the aircraft, our engineers collect the data and go back and then update their model. So yeah, there’s a number of different gauges throughout the vehicle. We also measure the stuff you would normally measure – attitude, airspeed, altitude. We have a data system that collects all of that information and puts it onto a drive. We can also send that information down to our control room so we have engineers that watch in real time as we’re doing this, and they can see exactly what the aircraft is doing as we’re flying.

Q: Pilots say every plane has its own flying characteristics. After modification, will Eve fly differently?

After we go through and re-rig our flight controls, it won’t be exactly the same. We have specifications, of course, so we know the aircraft will fly properly, but it may not be exactly as it was before. Now, for the pilot, you may or may not notice it, but of course, that’s why we get the data. The test pilot has an opinion, but the data has the facts!

Regardless, I’m always impressed by how well Eve performs, especially when it doesn’t have to carry a spaceship. For such a large aircraft, it’s got a lot of get up a go! On take-off it practically leaps off the ground. And that’s not even at full power! Now remember, it has two fuselages and that does take some getting used to because we’re not sitting in the center of the airplane.

Q: The biggest change to Eve is the launch pylon, the assembly in the center of the wing between the two fuselages, that cradles VSS Unity and releases it. It’s the primary role Eve plays – to carry our spaceship to launch altitude. Is it possible to test the pylon without actually attaching Unity to it?

Yes! One thing we will do is take it out – without any spaceship attached to it – up to high altitude, cold-soak it (make sure everything operates in extremely cold temperature), then we actuate the hooks that would normally attach to the spaceship and collect data on how they performed.

Q: After Eve passes its flight test, when will it head back to Spaceport? And is VSS Unity ready to go for a ride?

Yep, Unity is ready and waiting! After we complete system checks during initial flight test, Eve will fly what we call a ferry flight to New Mexico. The team is excited to see Eve and Unity reunited again, and we have some more testing to do with the mothership and spaceship combined – including more ground testing, glide and powered flight to complete the required validations of the vehicle’s modifications.

Pending the successful completion of system checks, the next step is to reunite the mothership (VMS Eve) and spaceship (VSS Unity) in New Mexico. Stay tuned for more news on VMS Eve and Virgin Galactic.

 

About Virgin Galactic Holdings
Virgin Galactic is an aerospace and space travel company, pioneering human spaceflight for private individuals and researchers with its advanced air and space vehicles. It is developing a spaceflight system designed to connect the world to the wonder and awe created by space travel and to offer customers a transformative experience.

 

About Galactic Experiences by DePrez
Galactic Experiences by DePrez is a member of the DePrez Group Of Travel Companies and is the largest independent travel management firm in central and western NY. Founded in 1929 the group provides extensive and diverse travel services, including cruise sales of Just Cruises, Inc. a top 50 cruise-only agency in N.A.), meeting and conventions planning to fortune 100 companies and large associations, corporate travel management, and luxury travel leisure sales through Whitaker & DePrez Travel Partners LLC.

For additional information please contact Craig Curran at ccurran@galacticexperiencesbydeprez.com.

 

 

 

 

For More Information Please Contact:

CRAIG CURRAN , ASA
Galactic Experiences By DePrez, DePrez Travel Bureau, Inc.
585-442-8900 X224

 

Accredited Virgin Galactic Space Agent

 

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