SPACESHIPTWO ACHIEVES ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL FIRST
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April 12, 2013 - Spaceport America, NM - History continues to be made in the skies above the Mojave Desert. Hot on the heels of last week's nitrous venting and feather test, SpaceShipTwo achieved another successful first today with a spectacular "Cold Flow" flight. The space plane was flown high into the sky by WhiteKnightTwo, its carrier aircraft. After being released from the plane, SpaceShipTwo glided smoothly back to the ground, leaving a contrail of oxidizer in its wake. The test objectives were successfully met, advancing another important step towards powered flight. In preparation for SpaceShipTwo's first powered flight, the test teams from Scaled Composites and Virgin Galactic completed the profile of the upcoming milestone flight - apart from actually igniting the rocket. Importantly, and for the first time in the air, oxidizer was flowed through the propulsion system and out through the nozzle at the rear of the vehicle- thus successfully accomplishing the "Cold-Flow" procedure. |
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As well as providing further qualifying evidence that the rocket system is flight ready, the test also provided a stunning spectacle due to the oxidizer contrail and for the first time gave a taste of what SpaceShipTwo will look like as it powers to space. The upcoming first powered flight of SpaceshipTwo is in many ways the most significant milestone to date, being the first time that the spaceship has flown with all systems installed and fully operational. It's an incredibly exciting stage of the program. Check back soon for more breaking news and images from Mojave. Once SpaceShipTwo is operational, WhiteKnightTwo will carry the vehicle up to an altitude of about 50,000 feet (15,240 meters) before releasing it. After separation, SpaceShipTwo will accelerate to 2,500 mph (4,000 km/h) and eventually pass an altitude of 62 miles (100 kilometers), the point at which passengers are considered astronauts. The spaceship will reach a peak altitude of 68 miles (110 km), giving the six passengers and two pilots about five minutes of weightlessness. Upon re-entry, SpaceShipTwo will be able to land on a conventional runway. |
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Galactic Experiences By DePrez, DePrez Travel Bureau, Inc.
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