The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) seems to be making fast progress with its investigation of the Virgin Galactic accident, thanks in-part to an abundance of data available from multiple onboard and external videocameras, telemetry and eyewitness accounts for the test flight. Most of the key parts of the vehicle have been found, including the engine and fuel and oxydizer tanks, all of which were intact with no signs of burn-through. This might shift the focus away from an engine failure.
Instead, they found that the spacecraft's feathering mechanism was unlocked by the co-pilot nine seconds after the engine's ignition. The unlocking must be followed by the movement of a handle to initiate the feathering. This would normally occur later in the flight, but the feathering occurred two seconds after the unlocking, after which the telemetry stream was lost and the vehicle broke up. The NTSB hasn't determined whether the breakup was caused by other mechanical issues or due to aerodynamic forces.
So, although the investigation will likely continue for months, signs now point to a potential co-pilot error and a mechanical malfunction. Concerns about an engine failure are fading, although excessive shaking/vibration might possibly have contributed to the feathering mechanical failure and breakup. (11/3)
Orlando Lunar XPRIZE Competitor Adds Australian Sponsor (Source: ESF)
Earthrise Space Foundation (ESF) has added Australian software company Altium as a gold level sponsor. Through a generous licensing agreement, estimated at $50,000, the foundation will now have access to the Altium Designer software package, providing a cutting edge electronics development tool for ESF students. Altium specializes in PC-based electronics design software for engineers and is a global leader in Printed Circuit Board (PCB) design software. Altium Designer is an electronic design automation software package.
ESF is committed to the research and development of spacecraft and spacecraft systems in Central Florida and is the host of Team Omega Envoy, a group competing for the $30 million Google Lunar XPRIZE. (10/14)
Virgin Galactic's Whitesides Reacts to Safety Claims (Source: AFP)
Virgin Galactic chief executive George Whitesides also questioned the safety claims, telling the Financial Times that differences of opinion were common in the world of space flight development. "In the space community, you will be able to find people who have favorite technologies of different types. One group will say their type of technology is better than another," the paper quoted him as saying. "We pay a lot of attention to the several hundred engineers that we have on staff, and other expert consultants we've talked with about our technologies." (11/2)
Virgin Galactic Crash Major Setback for Spaceport America (Source: Albuquerque Journal)
Before last week's crash, Virgin Galactic already had delayed launch of commercial operations in New Mexico during the last few years pending the successful completion of testing and development of the rocket, known as SpaceShipTwo, at the Mojave Air and Space Port. Now, with that rocket destroyed and construction of a second ship underway but far from finished, it’s unclear how long it may take Virgin to move from research and development in California to commercial operations in New Mexico.
A statement from the New Mexico Spaceport Authority late Friday afternoon expressed the state’s condolences. “We just feel so bad for the pilots and their families,” Spaceport America Executive Director Christine Anderson told the Journal. “It’s been a really bad day.” Anderson said it’s too early to speculate on the accident’s impact on Virgin operations at the Spaceport, but she said the commercial space industry will move forward.
During hearings at the state Legislative Finance Committee this week, Spaceport executives said they would face a $1.5 million budget shortfall in fiscal year 2015 if Virgin didn’t begin commercial launches by next July. That’s because the Spaceport needs to earn launch fees from Virgin and revenue from the tourists to meet its operating expenses. Given Friday’s catastrophe, it may be well into 2016 or beyond before Virgin could consider commercial launches in New Mexico. (11/2)
Thoughts on the SS2 Crash (Source: Dennis Wingo)
Burt Rutan with the original Spaceship 1 brought in the hybrid engine design SPECIFICALLY because it was sold to him as being the safest type of engine. A hybrid engine with a solid fuel and a liquid oxidizer has the ability to be shut down like a fully liquid engine, without some of the problems that come from a fully liquid or solid design.
That was the theory. The truth of the matter is that there is no such thing (at our current level of technical maturity) as a perfectly safe rocket engine. ALL rocket engines are an exercise in design compromises between cost, operability, and complexity as integrated into the larger system. Click here. (11/2)
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