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virgin space plane

Captain Shaw

Vice Admiral
Premium Member
I can't get a direct link to the video but its on http://uk.yahoo.com
I think the plane looks a bit fragile but i suppose all the early planes did now i think about it.
I think will wait for the prices to come down a bit before i book my flight.
 
Wow it looks flimsy. Still pretty awesome though.

I heart Richard Branson.
 
It's too bad their going to have to rename it. After the first trip it's no longer a virgin space plane.
 
You wanna know what i'm going to do? i'm going to design and build the perfect simulator.
It will be a proper plane but the windows inside will actually be tv screens, the plane will genuinely take off the ground and get high enough so there's no gravity but the TV screens will make it look like they've actually gone into space.

Bwahahahahaha. :evil:
 
But there's plenty of gravity in space, so you won't make it feel any more like space before climbing a long distance above the atmosphere.

Remember, Earth's gravity is what keeps the space station, geosynchronous communications satellites (including those used for digital satellite TV), and even the moon traveling in circles (or ellipses that are nearly circles). Imagine a force that pulls something traveling 18,000 miles an hour through a 360° turn.

The "weightless" phenomena is nothing more that the spacecraft or station's contents falling under the influence of the same forces at the same time and direction. The only difference from riding you favorite roller coaster is the spacecraft/station being so high and fast that it keeps continuously missing the Earth.
 
The 747 that NASA uses to carry the shuttle orbiters was extensively modified, I suspect at substantial expense. For the "drop" tests with the Enterprise "orbiter" it actually had to drop away from the unpowered "orbiter". Shuttle orbiters would probably be several times the weight of Scaled composite's design for Virgin, so a 747 would probably be a similar factor oversized.

Like the 747, a C130 would need extensive modification to carry a parasite craft, including modification to get its rudder/stabilizer out of the parasite plane's wake (as was necessary for the 747). The interior cargo space wouldn't have enough wing clearance and an under wing mount would result in significantly off center drag.
 
The 747 that NASA uses to carry the shuttle orbiters was extensively modified, I suspect at substantial expense. For the "drop" tests with the Enterprise "orbiter" it actually had to drop away from the unpowered "orbiter". Shuttle orbiters would probably be several times the weight of Scaled composite's design for Virgin, so a 747 would probably be a similar factor oversized.

Like the 747, a C130 would need extensive modification to carry a parasite craft, including modification to get its rudder/stabilizer out of the parasite plane's wake (as was necessary for the 747). The interior cargo space wouldn't have enough wing clearance and an under wing mount would result in significantly off center drag.

Makes sense, cool. Thanks for that.
 
You wanna know what i'm going to do? i'm going to design and build the perfect simulator.
It will be a proper plane but the windows inside will actually be tv screens, the plane will genuinely take off the ground and get high enough so there's no gravity but the TV screens will make it look like they've actually gone into space.

Bwahahahahaha. :evil:

Channel 4 did that about 3 years ago. Do you remember? Was it called Space Cadets? It was a reality tv thing. :)

[edit: yes, Here it is. Read all about it.]

They got a group of teenagers who were unfamiliar with space and gravity, and put them in a simulator for a week and pretended to them it was a space mission.

Despite the effort and detail the production team went to building the thing, and despite the excited tv presenters, stumbling over their words and containing their giggles to disclose the 'breaking news' every few hours, it was the most boring programme that had been on tv for a long time.
 
You wanna know what i'm going to do? i'm going to design and build the perfect simulator.
It will be a proper plane but the windows inside will actually be tv screens, the plane will genuinely take off the ground and get high enough so there's no gravity but the TV screens will make it look like they've actually gone into space.

Bwahahahahaha. :evil:

Channel 4 did that about 3 years ago. Do you remember? Was it called Space Cadets? It was a reality tv thing. :)

[edit: yes, Here it is. Read all about it.]

They got a group of teenagers who were unfamiliar with space and gravity, and put them in a simulator for a week and pretended to them it was a space mission.

Despite the effort and detail the production team went to building the thing, and despite the excited tv presenters, stumbling over their words and containing their giggles to disclose the 'breaking news' every few hours, it was the most boring programme that had been on tv for a long time.
I remember that one very well. It was back in 2005, I think. It had Johnny Vaughan in it. :guffaw:

Not to be confused with the Greg Proops sci-fi panel game show of the same name from about 10 years before that.

(It seems Channel 4 can't do a decent show with the title "Space Cadets" properly. :p)
 
I remember that one very well. It was back in 2005, I think. It had Johnny Vaughan in it. :guffaw:

Not to be confused with the Greg Proops sci-fi panel game show of the same name from about 10 years before that.

(It seems Channel 4 can't do a decent show with the title "Space Cadets" properly. :p)

"Earth Orbiter One to CAPCOM Krymsk, I can see two cosmonauts having a punch up." :vulcan:


Yeah, they should do something more fun, like a game... using a set modeled on parts of the Enterprise or something like that, and having little scenarios play out on the viewscreen and see how the crew respond.

Some degree of computer generated graphics can be used for space scenes, while actors can be used to role play a series of events.

I think the aim (to make people play properly) could be a score system. That various 'teams' could be sent on one week missions to this virtual star-ship, and their achievements are scored, giving fabuloso (or not so fabuloso) prizes to the high scorers, a la the crystal maze. :)
 
I remember that one very well. It was back in 2005, I think. It had Johnny Vaughan in it. :guffaw:

Not to be confused with the Greg Proops sci-fi panel game show of the same name from about 10 years before that.

(It seems Channel 4 can't do a decent show with the title "Space Cadets" properly. :p)

"Earth Orbiter One to CAPCOM Krymsk, I can see two cosmonauts having a punch up." :vulcan:


Yeah, they should do something more fun, like a game... using a set modeled on parts of the Enterprise or something like that, and having little scenarios play out on the viewscreen and see how the crew respond.

Some degree of computer generated graphics can be used for space scenes, while actors can be used to role play a series of events.

I think the aim (to make people play properly) could be a score system. That various 'teams' could be sent on one week missions to this virtual star-ship, and their achievements are scored, giving fabuloso (or not so fabuloso) prizes to the high scorers, a la the crystal maze. :)
I remember there was a Childrens ITV show along similar lines, with John Leslie as a space marine of sorts. :guffaw:



Back on topic, I always wanted to live to see private, commercial and corporate spaceflight become a reality. In fact, it's probably a more feasible enterprise (pun intended) than a space-based military or government-based space agency calling the shots.

For now, Virgin will just have to be satisfied with sponsoring Formula One cars with controversial rear diffusers. :)
 
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