Virgin Galactic News from ISDC

So I guess even the SpaceDev name has passed into history.

I am delighted that Virgin Galactic was apparently able to overcome the accident they tragically suffered sometime ago.

The likes of Virgin Galactic and COTS are the FUTURE of the human space program. NASA MUST somehow associate itself with them and do the other things. Or I fear NASA will become irrelevant in human exploration.

Best of luck to Virgin Galactic! Get them people to space and get them people to support space exploration!

God speed Virgin Galactic, SpaceX, Blue Origin, XCOR, Masten, Armadillo, ...

So I guess even the SpaceDev name has passed into history.


Not according to their web site:

http://www.spacedev.com/

I'm puzzled; how is this thing, neat as it is, ever going to turn a profit?

This is a very cool space tourism thing, but they're highly premature to talk about amazing new uses for space that no-one has thought of, or putting server farms in space(!). This is strictly a suborbital plane and if they decide to build an orbital vehicle it will look nothing like this.

It's nice to see Virgin progressing. They talk about their innovative hybrid Nitrous Oxide system. What advantages does this system have over more conventional systems?

Hybrids using NO2 are interesting due to their ability to throttle, stop and re-start, no cryro (NO2 is essentially self-pressurizing at nominal temperatures) and simplicity - they have basically a valve and an igniter. They aren't nearly as effecient as bi-prop (kerosene O2 for instance), but there's no turbopumps or cryogenic temps to worry about, so the simplicity is very attractive and much safer. There's pretty much no way this system can blow up - well - not like a liquid system anyway...Hybrids have also been demonstrated with HTPB and O2 as well as propellents with things like parafin (see Mythbusters) and sausages. Yep - meat rockets!

my thanks to Mr. Stagmer for the quick lesson and comparison of fuel and fuel systems.

Can't wait to see the first flight of Space Ship 2. Does anyone know what their target date is?