Virgin Galactic flies its first astronauts to the edge of space
Posted: 12-13-2018 12:05 PM
The Race is On!
Virgin Galactic flies its first astronauts to the edge of space, taking one step closer to space tourism
•The two pilots on board Virgin Galactic's spacecraft Unity become the company's first astronauts.
•Virgin Galactic said the test flight reached an altitude of 51.4 miles, or nearly 83 kilometers.
•The spacecraft also carried four NASA funded technology experiments on board.
Michael Sheetz | @thesheetztweetz
Published 1 Hour Ago Updated 5 Mins Ago
Virgin Galactic completed its longest rocket-powered flight ever on Thursday, taking a step ahead in the nascent business of space tourism.
Virgin Galactic said the test flight reached an altitude of 51.4 miles, or nearly 83 kilometers. The U.S. military and NASA consider pilots who have flown above 80 kilometers to be astronauts. Test pilots in 2004 were awarded a commercial astronaut badge by the Federal Aviation Administration for flying a previous, experimental iteration of Virgin Galactic's spacecraft design.
Lifted by the jet-powered mothership Eve, the spacecraft Unity took off from the Mojave Air and Space Port in the California desert. Upon reaching an altitude above 40,000 feet, the carrier aircraft released Unity. The two-member crew of Mark Stucky and Dave Mackay then piloted the spacecraft in a roaring burn which lasted 60 seconds. The flight pushed Unity to a speed of Mach 3.9, nearly three times the speed of sound, as it screamed into a climb toward the edge of space.
The Rest of Story
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/13/virgin- ... space.html
Virgin Galactic flies its first astronauts to the edge of space, taking one step closer to space tourism
•The two pilots on board Virgin Galactic's spacecraft Unity become the company's first astronauts.
•Virgin Galactic said the test flight reached an altitude of 51.4 miles, or nearly 83 kilometers.
•The spacecraft also carried four NASA funded technology experiments on board.
Michael Sheetz | @thesheetztweetz
Published 1 Hour Ago Updated 5 Mins Ago
Virgin Galactic completed its longest rocket-powered flight ever on Thursday, taking a step ahead in the nascent business of space tourism.
Virgin Galactic said the test flight reached an altitude of 51.4 miles, or nearly 83 kilometers. The U.S. military and NASA consider pilots who have flown above 80 kilometers to be astronauts. Test pilots in 2004 were awarded a commercial astronaut badge by the Federal Aviation Administration for flying a previous, experimental iteration of Virgin Galactic's spacecraft design.
Lifted by the jet-powered mothership Eve, the spacecraft Unity took off from the Mojave Air and Space Port in the California desert. Upon reaching an altitude above 40,000 feet, the carrier aircraft released Unity. The two-member crew of Mark Stucky and Dave Mackay then piloted the spacecraft in a roaring burn which lasted 60 seconds. The flight pushed Unity to a speed of Mach 3.9, nearly three times the speed of sound, as it screamed into a climb toward the edge of space.
The Rest of Story
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/13/virgin- ... space.html