Hard Light Productions Forums
Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: headdie on October 31, 2014, 01:48:16 pm
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Thats about all we know at this point
http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2014/10/31/richard-branson-s-spacecraft-crashes.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-29857182
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-29857182?ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbc_breaking&ns_source=twitter&ns_linkname=news_central
http://www.kerngoldenempire.com/news/local/story/d/story/spaceshiptwo-crashes-shortly-after-mojave-test-fli/11401/64VdLqg21EWpK1vuptvTsg
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Christ, as though the thing wasn't enough of a shambles already.
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Let us hope the brave souls on board survived somehow.
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pic of some of the wreckage
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-29857182?ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbc_breaking&ns_source=twitter&ns_linkname=news_central
some of the chatter on twitter indicates possibly one survivor one fatality
edit:
BBC now reporting 1 death and the other crew member injured
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-29857182
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Not a good week for space exploration, I'm afraid. First the Cygnus, and now this...
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I suppose, without sounding cold, that this is part of the price of breaking New Frontiers, as it were :(
As tragic as this is, think of all the explorers who set out to find new horizons and never returned, most are little more than a footnote in history, for every 'Columbus' there were a great many men who ended up destitute, lost or sadly dead.
My thoughts go out to those affected, obviously, but I just hope it doesn't do longer term damage to the project than is required to find out what went wrong and correct it.
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Indeed, my thoughts to those personally affected and a hope that something meaningful can be learned from what has happened
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From what I've inferred from reading, they were flight testing a new engine, or at least a new fuel in the engine. I think SS1 was powered by a kind of rubber propellant, what the interim fuel was for SS2 up to this point, I cannot say. This new propellant, however, was a sort of plasic pellet - I'm guessing it might look a bit like ball powder for those familiar with ammunition? Regardless, new fuels + high temperatures + emergent technology = teething problems. Sadly, it happens, but that's what the development cycle is for. In the case of Antares, even mature technology can fail catastrophically in the case of the Russian engine. Finally, lest ye forget, this is not the first explostion Scaled has had, and it certainly won't be the last.
...Of course, that's rocket science for you. The worst part about this story are many of the comments on mainstream sites from people who just do not understand this, or else think it a waste. Many of their comments might be arguable if this was a government project, but that is not the case here. Otherwise they cannot understand that actual applied science does in fact end up being a hands-on affair, and if you're at the bleeding edge, you very well may be hurt - it's called the bleeding edge for a reason. But I digress - scientists will understand, grieve a bit, and carry on; you cannot help those without vision, however.
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It always sort of shocks me to think that someone managed to survive something like that. I mean, how high up was it? That's some scary **** right there, even before the whole explosion thing.