Virgin Galactic Lose Spaceship Two, Fate of Pilots Unknown

[BolshieBastard]

Did I read it correct in the Sunday times that It was only the 4th time they have tried to fly the rocket part.

Not sure that is correct. This was the first time they'd flown with the new 'plastic' fuel pellet.

Truth or history more correctly be told, the US took far bigger risks sending crews to the moon ie Apollo 8, only one engine on the CSM for the burn to escape lunar orbit. Lunar lander descent and ascent engine, the fuel was so corrosive it wrecked the engine so they couldnt test them before flight.

[BolshieBastard]

It's now being reported that some device intended to slow the craft down after re-entry deployed unexpectedly: BBC News - Virgin Galactic crash: Slowing device 'deployed early'

The fuel tanks and engines have been found intact, so that's one line of uninformed speculation closed off.

The pictures clearly show some explosion near the back of the craft in flight. Compare these pictures to the ones showing rocket ignition following separation from the White Knight(?). These show the classic 'cones' within the eflux of a clean burn.

Something went 'pop' either within the combustion chamber or fuel supply and I suspect this blew the linkage for the flying wing which increased drag leading to structural failure.

[NickFitz]

The pictures clearly show some explosion near the back of the craft in flight. Compare these pictures to the ones showing rocket ignition following separation from the White Knight(?). These show the classic 'cones' within the eflux of a clean burn.

Something went 'pop' either within the combustion chamber or fuel supply and I suspect this blew the linkage for the flying wing which increased drag leading to structural failure.

Alternatively: faulty thing pops out, which causes structural damage, which causes the rocket plume to distort or shoot out sideways or whatever, giving the impression of an explosion but actually happening as a result of the damage, not causing it.

[BolshieBastard]

Alternatively: faulty thing pops out, which causes structural damage, which causes the rocket plume to distort or shoot out sideways or whatever, giving the impression of an explosion but actually happening as a result of the damage, not causing it.

Well I guess we'll just have to wait for the full NTSB report. Im more inclined to believe something went pop and in the confusion, one of the pilots grabbed the actuator to change the wing angle.

NTSB are saying this mechanism was deployed at the wrong time but they havent to my knowledge said its the root cause of the crash.

[NickFitz]

Well I guess we'll just have to wait for the full NTSB report. Im more inclined to believe something went pop and in the confusion, one of the pilots grabbed the actuator to change the wing angle.

NTSB are saying this mechanism was deployed at the wrong time but they havent to my knowledge said its the root cause of the crash.

Indeed, we'll have to wait and see. However, if the tanks and engines are indeed intact, it should allow them to work out why it happened a bit quicker than if they were spread out over a few miles of desert in several thousand pieces.

[pjclarke]

Some interesting theories, there.

Me, I think one of the Galactinauts forgot to put his phone into Flight mode.

[NickFitz]

A very good piece on the incident and its implications in PopSci: What's Next For Virgin Galactic? | Popular Science