Speaking to Flightglobal in an interview here at the Experimental Aircraft Association's AirVenture event in Oshkosh, Wisconsin Virgin Galactic president Will Whitehorn said that SpaceShipTwo could make an appearence at the general aviation airshow in 2009
credit: Flight / SS2 underwraps at Scaled on Monday 28 July 2008
credit: Flight / SS2 underwraps at Scaled on Monday 28 July 2008
In the video interview Whitehorn was asked if he expected SS2 to be rolled out this time next year. He said that he thought SS2 would be rolled out early in 2009 and that it could probably be carried to Oshkosh by the prototype WhiteKnightTwo (WK2) presented on Monday 28 July
I think the first SS2 will be a test vehicle as well and will not see commercial operation
During the AirVenture presentation by Whitehorn, Sir Richard Branson and Burt Rutan on the Tuesday morning it was stated that WK2 would be able to visit Oshkosh next year
The Scaled-Virgin trio have also started talking about having not just a conventional rocket to propel 100kg satellites to orbit using WK2 as a launch platform but using a flyback booster in place of that conventional launcher. I asked Whitehorn for more details but there weren't any, basically
Unfortunately due to technical problems the video of Whitehorn's interview, can't be posted to the website. The video has no sound.
I think the first SS2 will be a test vehicle as well and will not see commercial operation
During the AirVenture presentation by Whitehorn, Sir Richard Branson and Burt Rutan on the Tuesday morning it was stated that WK2 would be able to visit Oshkosh next year
The Scaled-Virgin trio have also started talking about having not just a conventional rocket to propel 100kg satellites to orbit using WK2 as a launch platform but using a flyback booster in place of that conventional launcher. I asked Whitehorn for more details but there weren't any, basically
Unfortunately due to technical problems the video of Whitehorn's interview, can't be posted to the website. The video has no sound.
on September 3, 2008 12:46 AM | Reply
The wild card in exploration of our solar system is the current exoplanet "gold rush of discovery." As Michel Mayor of the HARPES project in Chile says. "Exoplanets may be ubiquitous." In other words, solar systems are the norm. Life and Civilizations will be found. The most important questions will be do these other civilizations have an interstellar infrastructure and are they relatively close to us. A yes to both answers will lead to a land rush in our solar system if for no other reason than to deny our solar system to the others.
By the way, in my novel Passage to Mars, I imagine a discovery of others possessing an interstellar infrastructure who regard us as provincials unworthy of contact and refuse all contact. Instead, they leave us guessing about them and their civilization. A land rush across our solar system is one consequence. Another is a concerted effort to figure out how they travel between stars using the little we know about them as a guide.
Which brings me back to my original statement. The wild card to the exploration of the solar system will be the gold rush of exoplanet discovery.