Current:Home > ScamsVirgin Galactic launches fifth commercial flight to sub-orbital space and back-LoTradeCoin
Virgin Galactic launches fifth commercial flight to sub-orbital space and back
View Date:2024-12-24 00:39:56
Planetary scientist Alan Stern, who spearheaded NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto, enjoyed a spaceflight of his own Thursday, soaring to the edge of space and back aboard Virgin Galactic's winged spaceplane, chalking up the company's fifth commercial sub-orbital flight.
Stern, researcher and STEM "influencer" Kellie Gerardi, Italian investment manager Ketty Maisonrouge, two Virgin Galactic pilots and a company trainer were carried aloft by a carrier jet that released the Unity spaceplane at an altitude of about 44,700 feet above the New Mexico desert.
At the controls were Unity commander Michael Masucci and pilot Kelly Latimer, both veterans of earlier flights. Virgin astronaut trainer Colin Bennett joined the three passengers in Unity's multi-window cabin.
Seconds after release, Unity's hybrid rocket motor ignited with a rush of flame, propelling the ship up on a near-vertical trajectory, accelerating to nearly three times the speed of sound.
The motor then shut down and the crew enjoyed three to four minutes of weightlessness as Unity coasted up to an altitude of 54.2 miles — NASA recognizes 50 miles as the "boundary" between the discernible atmosphere and space — where it arced over and began the long fall back to Earth.
During their brief sojourn in weightlessness, Stern and Gerardi collected data with five experiments primarily focused on the physiological aspects of microgravity.
Stern wore a biomedical harness to monitor his body's reaction to weightlessness and planned to practice procedures with a high-tech camera that will be used on a future NASA astronomical research mission. Gerardi planned to operate three experiments related to microgravity healthcare and fluid dynamics.
A former chief of NASA's science division and principal investigator with the agency's New Horizons mission to Pluto, Stern was sponsored by the Southwest Research Institute where he now helps lead the space science division.
"Our objective in developing requirements, procedures timelines and training runs is to maximize the value of this first spaceflight and to minimize risks to performance on the second flight while doing NASA experiment work," Stern wrote before launch.
"And while there is always more one could do, I believe we have a solid plan both for flight ops and for training to perform those that's commensurate with the low cost of this mission. Of course, the proof of that will come at showtime, in space, high above southern New Mexico!"
Gerardi's trip was sponsored by the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences while her experiments were developed by the National Research Council of Canada. Maisonrouge is an investment manager who was born in Italy and grew up in Switzerland and France. She was among Virgin's first customers, reportedly paying $250,000 for a seat back in 2005.
As it began descending, Unity's two swept-back wings rotated upward, or "feathered," earlier in the flight, working as designed to properly orient the spacecraft, increase atmospheric drag and reduce the "loads" acting on the ship during re-entry.
Back in the lower atmosphere, the wings rotated back down parallel to the fuselage and the pilots guided the spaceplane, now flying as a glider, to touchdown on Spaceport America's 12,000-foot-long runway just west of the White Sands Missile Range at 11:59 a.m. EDT.
It was Unity's 10th piloted flight above an altitude of 50 miles and Virgin's fifth fully commercial flight in a row with paying customers aboard. Overall, Virgin Galactic has launched 49 company employees and commercial passengers in Unity's 10 sub-orbital flights to date.
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, which has launched six sub-orbital flights with 32 passengers using its more traditional New Shepard rocket and capsule, is currently in a standdown while resolving a booster problem that occurred during an unpiloted microgravity research flight last year.
Virgin Galactic's next flight is planned for January. Blue Origin is expected to resume New Shepard flights before the end of the year.
- In:
- Elon Musk
- Jeff Bezos
- Virgin Galactic
- Blue Origin
- Richard Branson
- Space
Bill Harwood has been covering the U.S. space program full-time since 1984, first as Cape Canaveral bureau chief for United Press International and now as a consultant for CBS News.
TwitterveryGood! (3495)
Related
- Medical King recalls 222,000 adult bed assistance rails after one reported death
- Mother of Idaho murders victim Kaylee Goncalves says evidence shows she was trapped
- UAW strike, first cases from Jan. 6 reach SCOTUS, Biden on economy: 5 Things podcast
- Australia tells dating apps to improve safety standards to protect users from sexual violence
- The Office's Kate Flannery Defends John Krasinski's Sexiest Man Alive Win
- U.K. leader vows to ban American bully XL dogs after fatal attack: Danger to our communities
- 'The Care and Keeping of You,' American Girl's guide to puberty, turns 25
- Russell Brand allegations mount: Comedian dropped from agent, faces calls for investigation
- Fantasy football waiver wire: 10 players to add for NFL Week 11
- 2 pilots killed in crash at Reno air race
Ranking
- Elton John Details Strict Diet in His 70s
- Authorities search for F-35 jet after 'mishap' near South Carolina base; pilot safely ejected
- Teyana Taylor and Iman Shumpert split after 7 years of marriage, deny infidelity rumors
- AP PHOTOS: Moroccan earthquake shattered thousands of lives
- Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul press conference highlights: 'Problem Child' goads 'Iron Mike'
- Kosovo’s prime minister blames EU envoy for the failure of recent talks with Serbia
- Here's what not to do when you open a 401(k)
- Florida teen accused of fatally shooting mom, injuring her boyfriend before police standoff
Recommendation
-
Drone footage captures scope of damage, destruction from deadly Louisville explosion
-
Underwater teams search for a helicopter that crashed while fighting a forest fire in western Turkey
-
Protesters demand that Japan save 1000s of trees by revising a design plan for a popular Tokyo park
-
Seahawks receiver Tyler Lockett, with game-winning catch, again shows his quiet greatness
-
Nicky Hilton Shares Her Christmas Plans With Paris, the Secret To Perfect Skin & More Holiday Gift Picks
-
Indiana attorney general sues hospital system over privacy of Ohio girl who traveled for abortion
-
In a state used to hurricanes and flooding, Louisiana is battling an unprecedented wildfire season
-
Is Below Deck Down Under's Luka Breaking Up a Boatmance? See Him Flirt With a Co-Worker's Girl