Virgin Galactic unveils SpaceShipTwo cabin model
Posted: Thu, Sep 28, 2006, 5:20 PM ET (2120 GMT)
Space tourism operator Virgin Galactic unveiled Thursday a conceptual model of the cabin of SpaceShipTwo (SS2), the suborbital passenger spacecraft being developed for the company by Scaled Composites. The cabin features eight seats, two for the pilots and six for passengers; the seats recline after launch to provide more room in the cabin for movement during zero-g and to accommodate the g-forces of reentry. SS2 will be about 18 meters long, twice the length of its predecessor, SpaceShipOne. Virgin Galactic also released an animation showing a typical flight, but cautioned that the depictions of SS2 and its carrier aircraft, White Knight 2, were notional; the exact design remains proprietary. Virgin officials said they plan to officially unveil both vehicles in about a year, with flight tests scheduled to begin in late 2007 or early 2008.
Space tourism operator Virgin Galactic unveiled Thursday a conceptual model of the cabin of SpaceShipTwo (SS2), the suborbital passenger spacecraft being developed for the company by Scaled Composites. The cabin features eight seats, two for the pilots and six for passengers; the seats recline after launch to provide more room in the cabin for movement during zero-g and to accommodate the g-forces of reentry. SS2 will be about 18 meters long, twice the length of its predecessor, SpaceShipOne. Virgin Galactic also released an animation showing a typical flight, but cautioned that the depictions of SS2 and its carrier aircraft, White Knight 2, were notional; the exact design remains proprietary. Virgin officials said they plan to officially unveil both vehicles in about a year, with flight tests scheduled to begin in late 2007 or early 2008.
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