What caused SpaceShipTwo to crash?
SpaceShipTwo crashed in October when co-pilot Michael Alsbury unlocked the commercial space plane’s re-entry “feathering” system too early during a test flight over California’s Mojave Desert, investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board said in a hearing today (July 28).
Is Virgin Galactic crashing?
The VSS Enterprise crash occurred on October 31, 2014, when the VSS Enterprise, a SpaceShipTwo experimental spaceflight test vehicle operated by Virgin Galactic, suffered a catastrophic in-flight breakup during a test flight and crashed in the Mojave Desert near Cantil, California….VSS Enterprise crash.
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Injuries | 1 |
| Survivors | 1 |
What caused Virgin Galactic crash?
Human Error Caused Virgin Galactic Crash, Investigators Say : The Two-Way SpaceShipTwo broke apart during an October test flight because the co-pilot unlocked a section of the spaceship’s tail too early, the National Transportation and Safety Board announced.
What happened with the Virgin Galactic crash?
The test flight on Oct. 31, 2014, was run by Scaled Composites, on behalf of Virgin Galactic. Announcing the results of its inquiry into the accident Tuesday, the NTSB said that human error, on the part of co-pilot Michael Alsbury, 39, led to the craft breaking apart.
How did Peter Siebold survive?
Siebold survived the SpaceShipTwo crash because his seat was ejected from the vehicle as the spacecraft broke apart. He was then able to unbuckle from the seat, allowing his parachute to deploy automatically, NTSB investigators have said.
Who died on Virgin Galactic?
Alsbury died Oct. 31, 2014, while co-piloting Virgin Galactic’s experimental SpaceShipTwo, which engineers hoped could take space tourists on suborbital trips. Alsbury was a test pilot for Scaled Composites, the company that designed and built the rocket-powered space plane.
Is Virgin Galactic doomed?
But it’s still doomed. Richard Branson’s eternally-delayed space tourism venture, Virgin Galactic, has announced smaller losses than expected. There has been a small rally in the stock, but the truth is that the company has no future. Virgin Galactic issued its quarterly results on Tuesday.
Where is Peter Siebold now?
He has been a design engineer at Scaled Composites since 1996. Siebold holds a degree in aerospace engineering from California Polytechnic University at San Luis Obispo, from 2001. Siebold was responsible for the simulator, navigation system, and ground control system for the SpaceShipOne project at Scaled.
What happened to Whiteknighttwo?
“We understood what had happened immediately,” Firth said. The National Transportation Safety Bureau officials concluded the crash stemmed from pilot error, a premature deployment of the craft’s “feathering system,” technology meant to help slow the ship as it descends into Earth’s atmosphere.
How did Virgin Galactic pilot survive?
He went into the free-fall position, spreading his arms and legs. Somewhere between 10,000 and 20,000 feet, his parachute deployed automatically. He said the sudden jolt surprised him, as if waking him from sleep. No longer free-falling, his mind began allowing him to absorb more information.
Who owns Virgin Galactic?
Branson, 71, remains Virgin Galactic’s largest shareholder with a stake worth nearly $600 million. Another key Virgin Galactic shareholder, Social Capital founder Chamath Palihapitiya, who helped take the company public in 2019, in March sold all of his personal stake in the company, worth about $213 million.
Did Virgin Galactic have pilots?
The mission, called Unity 22, saw Branson and four other passengers fly to space on Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo space plane VSS Unity, which was piloted by the company’s veteran pilots Dave Mackay and Mike Masucci.