SpaceShipTwo Unveil

Thought id start a thread to talk about the unveiling of SS2.

Seems some people have seen it already!

Ben Brockert
"I just saw SpaceShipTwo. It's very large and shiny. It's really impressive mounted to the mothership, makes Eve look right."

It Seems Ben gets all the luck right now!

Not long until we get some more info!!!

Rob

That tweet from Ben Brockert was already yesterday. Guess working in Mojave gets you all the SS2/WK2 news early

http://spacefellowship.com/2009/12/07/v ... ceshiptwo/

And we have the images!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Eve reminds me of a pair of cojoined twins. But other than that, my first impression was "hotdoggonedit! it's about time!"

Yay Scaled!

I have to say though, I love the "environmentally sound" spiel in the press release. No, they're not building it out of carbon composite because it's stronger and lighter than other materials, or because Scaled has been using the stuff for decades, no, it's because of the environment! And those engines, just look at how fuel-efficient they are! I wonder if they'd still used them (or if P&W had ever developed them) if they'd been more expensive to operate, rather than less. And of course, bonus points for making the hybrid rocket motor sound like a Prius.

The reality is of course that the couple of flights SS2 will be flying aren't going to have any kind of noticeable impact on the environment anyway, and that regular suborbital space flight is hard enough if you don't think about the environment at all. I doubt it would have been very high on their engineering agenda. But marketing is the art of putting untruths and half-truths into people's minds without ever actually lying, and this is a very nicely done example.

Have you read my mind Lourens?

I always have to smile a little bit when Sir Richard talks about SS2 like it's going to save the environment all by its own

Very large and shiny indeed!!!

Where can I order one of them? I want one sitting in front of my house.

Id quite like to order a model one for my desk at work!

Ouch, look at the aftermath
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdwA-9RR_iA

Cool new vid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ry3Xc_TluTg

hahahahaha

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c6050bee-e68c ... ck_check=1

It was nice to see it before the rollout, and wander around and under the mothership.

I'm sure we'll see the captive carry and other tests while we're out doing our own work.

Here's a scoop I haven't mentioned to anyone else: Scaled's nitrous trailer, which was sitting neglected in a parking lot for the last two years, is now in a different lot, hooked up to a truck, and has power to it. They may be preparing to do some static engine testing here at Mojave. The engine is the bit that's the most behind schedule.

I talked to the chief engineer of the airplane for a while at another rocket company's christmas party, he's an interesting but quiet guy. He's flown WK2 a few times.