Exclusive Video of Virgin Galactics Test Flight

Space junkies and wannabe astronauts rejoice - weve got exclusive video of Virgin Galactics recent test flight in the Mojave.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Virgin Galactic
• space
• test flight
• astronaut
• wired

[PonderLust]

It is an airplane, it launches a space ship...

[ChovinIsDumb]

looks normal if you cross your eyes : P

[RobertsDigital]

@covingtonium so is your mom & you too..

[covingtonium]

jesus man you are a complete fucking idiot

[covingtonium]

they will force paying participants to shit before you moron.

[Dynamo9784]

wow you are dumb

[RobertsDigital]

yeah?....What about toilet? What if a passenger needed to poop? The aircraft looks so tiny that i hardly believe there is a toilet in it ...You know "travelers diarrhea" can also be a serious issue these days for flyers. The toilet has to be fully fuctional in space too as well an within the earth's gravity. That means the toilet needs a sunction kind of technology on it, but i dont see any of that stuff here...Have they considered these too?

[coastermonger]

Also fortunately, the wings fold upward for a very high drag re-entry, which means it will not experience anything near the pressure and heat that the space shuttle does, and it also eliminates the need for expensive heat dissipating materials and complex computer controls to properly orient the craft. This again makes the ride safer than the space shuttle, because it will not experience burn-up disasters like the space shuttle columbia did in 2003.

[coastermonger]

And yet, by starting the launch at 50,000 feet instead of ground level it allows you to use less fuel and get farther into space by starting out lighter. It also eliminates the problems of having to accelerate through the thicker and denser portions of the lower atmosphere, which makes the construction of the ship more economical and the ride safer.

[Dynamo9784]

Roberts,

the idea they are using is the easiest way to put an aircraft into what is considered the begining of space. I believe 60 miles up. The airforce did this with the x-1 through x-15 in the 50's and 60's because it was so easy. In this case the mothership carries the spacecraft up to high altitude and high airspeed before it is on its own, therefore the rocket can carry less of its dangerous rocket fuel. Do research before you say stupid things.