Posts Tagged spaceshiptwo

First Flight

Posted by Danielle in News & Happenings, Picspam on March 23, 2010

VSS Enterprise, first captive-carry flight

VSS Enterprise First Flight, The Triumph of Private “Enterprise”. Photo by Mark Greenberg

In an effort to avoid all the “last” pictures I keep stumbling across (in reference to the Space Shuttle program), here’s a cheerful “first” instead: Virgin Galactic VSS Enterprise’s first ‘captive carry’ flight.

Virgin Galactic announced today that VSS Enterprise has completed her inaugural captive carry flight from Mojave Air and Spaceport.

This very first captive carry was a huge success and both the mothership and spaceship looked absolutely stunning against the blue back drop of the Mojave skies.

VSS Enterprise, first captive-carry flight

VSS Enterprise First Flight, seen from below. Photo by Mark Greenberg

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SpaceShipTwo

Posted by Danielle in News & Happenings, Picspam on December 8, 2009

Concept art of SpaceShipTwo in flight.

What you see above is no longer just a concept:

SpaceShipTwo (VSS Enterprise), as unveiled on December 7, 2009

SpaceShipTwo (VSS Enterprise), as unveiled on December 7, 2009

All I can say is the future of suborbital space travel is exciting and beautiful.

Edit, later that same day: adding a few more photographs courtesy of collectSPACE:

WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo. Credit: Robert Pearlman/collectSPACE.com

WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo. Credit: Robert Pearlman/collectSPACE.com

SpaceShipTwo/VSS Enterprise. Credit: Robert Pearlman/collectSPACE.com

SpaceShipTwo/VSS Enterprise. Credit: Robert Pearlman/collectSPACE.com

Galactic Girl (based on Eve Branson.) Credit: Robert Pearlman/collectSPACE.com

Galactic Girl (based on Eve Branson.) Credit: Robert Pearlman/collectSPACE.com

Cosmic Log has a nice recap of last night’s unveiling, and a great quote to go along with that last photo:

VSS Enterprise is emblazoned with an image of “Galactic Girl,” a mascot who is modeled after Branson’s mother as she looked in the 1940s, but floating in zero-G. The painting was done by one of her grandsons, Ned Rocknroll.

While we were there, Eve Branson, who admits to being near her 90s, stopped by to look at her likeness. “These are your belly-dancing days,” Richard Branson joked.

“Could have made the boobs a little bit bigger,” his mother said, grinning all the while.

“Never satisfied, never satisfied,” the son replied.

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