Today, Virgin Galactic conducted its fifth powered test flight and second space flight of its commercial SpaceShipTwo, VSS Unity. Please find reporting materials below for news coverage and multimedia reporting.Pilot

B-roll & Images: Getty Press FTP: https://www.image.net/virgingalactic   
Please visit periodically throughout the day and week for updates and additional test flight content.

News of the day and Richard Branson reaction quotes, per full copy below. Available for immediate use. Please cite original source: Virgin Galactic.

In its fifth supersonic rocket powered test flight, Virgin Galactic reached space for the second time today in the skies above Mojave CA. Spaceship VSS Unity reached its highest speed and altitude to date and, for the first time, carried a third crew member on board along with research payloads from the NASA Flight Opportunities program.

This space flight means Chief Pilot Dave Mackay and co-pilot Michael “Sooch” Masucci become commercial astronauts and the 569^th and 570^th humans in space. Beth Moses, Virgin Galactic’s Chief Astronaut Instructor, flew as the third crew member in a first, live evaluation of cabin dynamics. She is the 571^st person to fly to space and the first woman to fly on board a commercial spaceship.

In addition to this element of envelope expansion, VSS Unity flew higher and faster than ever before, as its world record-holding hybrid rocket motor propelled the spaceship at Mach 3.04 to an apogee of 295,007ft.

The crew enjoyed extraordinary views of Earth from the black skies of space and, during several minutes of weightlessness while the pilots “feathered” the spaceship in preparation for a Mach 2.7 re-entry, Beth floated free to complete a number of cabin evaluation test points. The human validation of data previously collected via sensors, and the live testing of other physical elements of the cabin interior, are fundamental to the provision of a safe but enjoyable customer experience.

The glide back home was followed by a smooth runway landing and a rapturous reception from the crowd on the flight line, which included staff and some of Virgin Galactic’s 600 Future Astronaut customers.

Chief Pilot Dave Mackay, a born and bred Scotsman as well as an ex-RAF test pilot and Virgin Atlantic Captain, led his crew of newly qualified astronauts from VSS Unity accompanied by a kilted piper.

Today’s flight notched several additional firsts for the industry:  The flight was the first time that a non-pilot flew on board a commercial spaceship to space, and it was the first time that a crew member floated freely without restraints in weightlessness in space onboard a commercial spaceship;  it was the first time that three people flew to space on a commercial spaceship, and Dave Mackay became the first Scottish-born astronaut (Brian Binnie, who was raised in Scotland, flew to space in 2004).

Addressing colleagues and guests Dave said: “Beth, Sooch and I just enjoyed a pretty amazing flight which was beyond anything any of us has ever experienced. It was thrilling yet smooth and nicely controlled throughout with a view at the top, of the Earth from space, which exceeded all our expectations. I am incredibly proud of my crew and of the amazing teams at Virgin Galactic and The Spaceship Company for providing a vehicle and an operation which means we can fly confidently and safely. For the three of us today this was the fulfillment of lifelong ambitions, but paradoxically is also just the beginning of an adventure which we can’t wait to share with thousands of others.”  

Sir Richard Branson said: “Flying the same vehicle safely to space and back twice in a little over two months, while at the same time expanding the flight envelope, is testament to the unique capability we have built up within the Virgin Galactic and The Spaceship Company organizations. I am immensely proud of everyone involved. Having Beth fly in the cabin today, starting to ensure that our customer journey is as flawless as the spaceship itself, brings a huge sense of anticipation and excitement to all of us here who are looking forward to experiencing space for ourselves.  The next few months promise to be the most thrilling yet”

Virgin Galactic Makes Space for Second Time in Ten Weeks with Three On Board, Reaching Higher Altitudes and Faster Speeds, as Flight Test Program Continues

• NASA Pilot Space
• At 2/22/2019 06:31:00 p.m.
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Richard Branson joined Virgin Galactic and The Spaceship Company (TSC) staff and guests today at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC, to announce that the hybrid rocket motor which powered SpaceShipTwo, VSS Unity, to space for the first time on December 13th last year, has been donated to the museum. The rocket motor was unveiled during the ceremony and will be exhibited in the museum’s planned, new commercial space flight gallery to be called ‘Future of Spaceflight.’

Designed and built by TSC, Virgin Galactic’s sister manufacturing organisation, the motor has been confirmed by Guinness World Records as the Most powerful hybrid rocket to be used in manned flight – a title which will be shared by both companies.
“The SpaceShipTwo rocket motor is a fitting addition to the National Air and Space Museum’s collection,” said Ellen Stofan, John and Adrienne Mars Director of the National Air and Space Museum. “It does not just represent technical achievement. It is sure to also inspire our visitors by demonstrating what can be achieved through entrepreneurial innovation.”

Weighing in at approximately 3,000 pounds, with 320kN of thrust and a burn duration of around 60 seconds, the motor created sufficient energy to propel VSS Unity to space at almost three times the speed of sound.
TSC, based in Mojave, CA, will be supplying Virgin Galactic with all rocket motors required to meet its test and commercial flight requirements, both for VSS Unity and for the SpaceShipTwo fleet which will follow – those vehicles also built by TSC for Virgin Galactic.
The donated rocket motor, or more accurately, the Case-Throat-Nozzle (CTN) assembly, is an integral part of SpaceShipTwo’s hybrid propulsion system – a design which seeks to combine the simplicity of a solid rocket motor with the controllability of a liquid engine – meaning SpaceShipTwo’s rocket motor can be shut down quickly and safely at any point during flight. The hybrid propulsion system has very few moving parts, resulting in a simple, robust design for human spaceflight application.
Announcing the donation, Richard Branson said: “We’re proud to be making history as we work towards launching the world’s first commercial space line, and today we could not be more delighted to donate a piece of that history to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum for its wonderful new exhibition. The desire to explore space has been an inspiration since time began and, in recent decades, an incredible catalyst for innovation. I hope our donation will also play a small part in inspiring the thousands of visitors as they pass through the new gallery in years to come.”
George Whitesides, CEO of The Spaceship Company and Virgin Galactic, said: “To see this rocket go from concept, to production, through ground test, and finally into space, and then be accepted to the world’s most respected aerospace museum is a well-deserved recognition for the spaceship propulsion team.”
Enrico Palermo, President of The Spaceship Company said: “This motor and its development process is a perfect example of what can be achieved when talented people come together to work on their dreams. TSC looks forward to building more rocket motors and the fleet of SpaceShipTwo’s, watching them provide the power.

Virgin Galactic and The Spaceship Company Donate Guinness World Records Title Record Setting Rocket Motor to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum

• Ceremony Museum Space
• At 2/07/2019 11:19:00 p.m.
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Flight Follows April’s First Rocket-Powered Flight as Next Step of Commercial Program Testing

Mojave, California, USA (29 May 2018): Today, Virgin Galactic conducted the second test flight of its commercial spaceship, VSS Unity. Please find reporting materials below for news coverage and multimedia reporting.

Richard Branson Welcomes VSS Unity Home from Second Supersonic Flight

Richard Branson joined Virgin Galactic and The Spaceship Company teams this morning, on the Mojave Air and Space Port flight line, to witness VSS Unity’s second successful, supersonic, rocket powered test flight.

“It was great to see our beautiful spaceship back in the air and to share the moment with the talented team who are taking us, step by step, to space” Branson said. “Seeing Unity soar upwards at supersonic speeds is inspiring and absolutely breathtaking. We are getting ever closer to realizing our goals. Congratulations to the whole team!” 

The focus of today’s flight was to expand our understanding of the spaceship’s supersonic handling characteristics and control system’s performance with vehicle parameters that were closer to the ultimate commercial configuration. This involved shifting the vehicle’s center of gravity rearward via the addition of passenger seats and related equipment. The rocket motor burned for the planned 31 seconds and propelled Unity to a speed of Mach 1.9 and an altitude of 114,500 ft.  As will be the case for future commercial flights, Unity’s unique re-entry feathering system was deployed for the initial descent before the final glide home to a smooth runway landing.

Once in commercial service, Virgin Galactic’s spaceships are designed to be turned around and flown at a higher frequency than has traditionally been the case for human spaceflight. The flight today brought that vision a little closer, coming less than two months after Unity’s first rocket powered flight.  Great credit goes to the engineering and maintenance teams for working through the first flight’s data diligently and efficiently before preparing Unity again for flight. 

Richard Branson was on the runway tarmac to greet this flight’s VSS Unity pilots Dave Mackay and Mark “Forger” Stucky. In addition to the pilots of VSS Unity, Branson recognized CJ Sturckow and Nicola Pecile, the pilots of the carrier aircraft, VMS Eve.

“Today we saw VSS Unity in her natural environment, flying fast under rocket power and with a nose pointing firmly towards the black sky of space” he said. “The pathway that Unity is forging is one that many thousands of us will take over time, and will help share a perspective that is crucial to solving some of humanity’s toughest challenges on planet Earth.”

The teams will now conduct flight data review for this flight and continue planning preparations for the next flight.

While in Mojave, Richard Branson also toured the facilities of The Spaceship Company (TSC), Virgin’s Galactic sister company.  TSC is focused on manufacturing next generation aerospace vehicles, with a primary focus on new spaceships for Virgin Galactic’s future fleet.  Branson viewed the next two spaceships on the TSC’s manufacturing line, as well as the production facilities for TSC’s spaceship rocket motors.

Richard Branson Welcomes VSS Unity Home from Second Supersonic Flight

• Flight Rocket Space Spaceship
• At 5/29/2018 07:05:00 p.m.
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• De 1965 a 1970 la NASA ya entrenó Astronautas en este lugar de Sonora para el Programa Apolo

• México participará cada vez de más maneras en la misión de la humanidad al planeta rojo

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La Agencia Espacial Mexicana (AEM), organismo descentralizado de la Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes (SCT), la National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) y la Universidad de Sonora (UNISON) trabajarán conjuntamente para realizar pruebas en el Campo Volcánico de la Reserva de la Biósfera “El Pinacate”, con el objetivo de entrenar Astronautas para la misión multinacional de la humanidad a Marte hacia 2030.

“Es un hecho histórico poco conocido que este lugar en Sonora, por sus características únicas, fue seleccionado por NASA como campo de entrenamiento para los Astronautas del Programa Apolo de 1965 a 1970, en lo que significó la primera exploración lunar hecha por el ser humano”, explicó el Director General de AEM, Javier Mendieta Jiménez.

Varios grupos de Astronautas de Estados Unidos, entre ellos los icónicos Edgar Mitchell y Alan B. Shepard, detalló, se entrenaron allí. Recordó que desde 1972 no se ha regresado a la luna, y ahora, 45 años después, que comienzan a reactivarse las misiones al espacio con el nuevo reto hacia Marte, el lugar vuelve a recibir expediciones para tal fin.

Bajo un enfoque multidisciplinario, científicos y especialistas visitan nuevamente este sitio para la preparación de lo que será recordado como la segunda gran exploración espacial de la humanidad hacia 2030, por lo que la AEM y la ONG National Space Society (Sociedad Nacional del Espacio) de EEUU, organizaron una expedición al lugar.

Para estos primeros trabajos de exploración se integró un equipo, formado por un Investigador de la Universidad Estatal de Arizona en Phoenix, el Rector de la Universidad Tecnológica de Guaymas, un profesor investigador emérito de la Universidad de Sonora, y dos estudiantes de Maestría del Instituto de Geofísica-UNAM.

Así como por tres especialistas de la National Space Society, cuatro miembros del personal de El Pinacate, y por parte de la AEM el Director de Divulgación de Ciencia y Tecnología Espacial, Mario Arreola Santander, quien ya ha colaborado en proyectos con NASA desde 1985, y su Gerente de e-educación y e-divulgación, Rodrigo Pérez González.

Al tratarse un sitio de gran interés turístico en la entidad por su afluencia de visitantes, El Pinacate (Gran Desierto de Altar) es único en México y el mundo por combinar el campo de lava más espectacular y joven de Norteamérica con extensos campos de dunas en la región más seca del desierto sonorense, cuya belleza puede apreciarse incluso desde el espacio.

Los expertos destacaron que al menos media docena de grandes empresas espaciales privadas trabajan en la misión al planeta rojo y la propia luna, por lo que la megatendencia actual es que la exploración espacial ya no está limitada únicamente a las acciones y presupuestos de los gobiernos.

Con acciones como ésta, y fundamentalmente a través de capital humano, por ejemplo, de médicos espaciales como el Dr. Emmanuel Urquieta que ya trabaja en ello con NASA, México podrá participar cada vez de más maneras en esta odisea, como se anunció en el pasado Congreso México hacia Marte, organizado por la AEM.

AEM, NASA Y UNIVERSIDAD DE SONORA REALIZARÁN PRUEBAS EN LA RESERVA DE LA BIÓSFERA EL PINACATE PARA PRÓXIMA MISIÓN A MARTE  

• Aeronautics Agencia Espacial Mexicana Comunicaciones Space Tecnológia
• At 12/31/2017 05:29:00 p.m.
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·        Inscripciones gratuitas y abiertas, de este innovador taller para educadores

·        El 25 de septiembre 2016, en Guadalajara, Jalisco, en el marco previo al Congreso Internacional de Astronáutica (IAC2016)

·        “El espacio tiene múltiples beneficios, incluyendo la inspiración de las nuevas generaciones para abrazar ciencia y tecnología”, Mendieta Jiménez

La Agencia Espacial Mexicana (AEM), organismo descentralizado de la Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes (SCT), convoca a educadores de nivel primaria y secundaria a participar en el Taller impartido por “The Victorian Space Science Education Centre” (VSSEC, por sus siglas en inglés).

El VSSEC (Centro Victoriano de Educación del Espacio y la Ciencia) impartirá las metodologías del siglo XXI empleadas en países avanzados para estimular el aprendizaje temprano de la ciencia y tecnología espacial en educandos de primaria y secundaria.

Se llevará a cabo el 25 de septiembre en Guadalajara, Jalisco, en el marco previo al Congreso Internacional de Astronáutica (IAC2016), con apoyo de la Federación Internacional de Astronáutica (IAF por sus siglas en inglés), la organización más importante del mundo en el ámbito espacial.

El Director General de la AEM, Javier Mendieta, destacó que el espacio es, además de una herramienta para el desarrollo social y económico de las naciones, una fuente de inspiración para que las nuevas generaciones se acerquen a las carreras de ciencia y tecnología.

“La presente administración Federal cree en el potencial de las nuevas generaciones y del espacio para el beneficio de la sociedad mexicana, por lo que redobla esfuerzos para acercar ciencia y tecnología espacial a la educación temprana de los niños” afirmó. 

Bajo el lema “La ciencia de enseñar ciencia”, los asistentes tendrán la oportunidad de aprender temas y técnicas basadas en evidencia científica, que mejoran el aprendizaje de la ciencia en el salón de clases, desarrolladas por el MidContinent Research in Education and Learning (McREL) de Denver, Colorado.

En temas como “Programación, la habilidad del Siglo XXI” los profesores aprenderán cómo enseñar a sus alumnos a programar computadoras desde la primaria, con el apoyo didáctico del famoso robot BB8 de la película “La Guerra de las Galaxias”, usando el lenguaje Scratch, la app Tickle, y software libre.

El objetivo es estimular a los estudiantes para aprender conceptos científicos y tecnológicos, desde el “cielo” y el “espacio” hasta “los estados de la materia” y “robots”, con materiales comunes y de bajo costo, en una experiencia didáctica y divertida.

El taller de “The Victorian Space Science Education Centre” es gratuito, y tiene sus inscripciones abiertas para los profesores de las nuevas generaciones, con cupo limitado a registro, en el sitio http://www.aem.gob.mx/haciaelespacio

AEM Y “VICTORIAN SPACE SCIENCE EDUCATION CENTRE” CONVOCAN A EDUCADORES PARA ESTIMULAR APRENDIZAJE DE LA CIENCIA EN NIÑOS Y JÓVENES

• Agencia Espacial Mexicana Ciencia Comunicaciones Education Science Space Tecnología
• At 8/11/2016 10:30:00 a.m.
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Not mounted on a stand, with color-coded state and national boundaries, as schoolroom globes are prone to display. Instead, we see our world as only a cosmic perspective can provide: blue oceans, dry land, white clouds, polar ice. A sun-lit planet, teeming with life, framed in darkness.

In 1972, when NASA's Apollo 17 astronauts first captured an entire hemisphere of our planet, we were treated to such a view. The Blue Marble, it was called. The Space Program's unprecedented images of Earth compelled us all to think deeply about our dependence on nature and the fate of our civilization.

Of course, at the time, we had other distractions. Between 1968 and 1972, the United States would experience some of its most turbulent years in memory, simultaneously enduring a hot war in Southeast Asia, a Cold War with the Soviet Union, the Civil Rights Movement, campus unrest, and assassinations. Yet that's precisely when we voyaged to the Moon, paused, looked back, and discovered Earth for the first time.

The year 1970 would celebrate the first Earth Day. In that same year, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) were formed with strong bipartisan support. In 1972, the pesticide DDT was banned and the Clean Water Act was passed. And one year later, the Endangered Species Act would be enacted, the catalytic converter would be introduced, and unleaded automotive emission standards would be set. A stunning admission that we're all in this together, with a common future on a shared planet.

Regrettably, we still live in a turbulent world. But we now have at our disposal, not simply a photograph of our home to reflect upon, but continual data of our rotating planet, captured 13 times per day, by the robotic Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR), a specially designed space camera and telescope, launched and positioned a million miles from Earth.

We will now be able to measure and track sun-induced space weather as well as global climatic trends in ozone levels, aerosols, vegetation, volcanic ash, and Earth reflectivity, all in high resolution -- just the kind of data our civilization needs to make informed cultural, political, and scientific decisions that affect our future.

Occasions such as this offer renewed confidence that we may ultimately become responsible shepherds of our own fate, and the fate of that fragile home we call Earth.

A new Blue Marble

• NASA Oceans Planet President Space World
• At 7/23/2015 12:08:00 p.m.
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I'm the President's Chief Science Advisor. And from time to time, I like to send quick, ad-hoc notes to White House staff on a variety of topics -- upcoming lunar eclipses, groundbreaking climate news, incredible photos from space. Things I've come across and found fascinating.

Apparently, people really like them. So when a colleague recently suggested I start sending these notes a little more widely, I figured I'd give it a try.

Here's what I passed along internally Monday morning:

Today's morning report from NASA contains a Hubble photo I thought worth sharing. The astonishing density of stars -- most of which, we now know, have planets -- really does make one wonder whether there's anybody else out there. And this is just one piece of our own galaxy. There are an estimated 100 billion other galaxies in the observable universe. Enjoy!

Is there a particular scientific topic you're interested in, or a question you have? Let me know here.

Even if I don't know the answer, we've got a lot of smart people over here who might.

My best,

John

Dr. John P. Holdren
Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy
The White House
@whitehouseostp

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Hubble Peers into the Most Crowded Place in the Milky Way

This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image presents the Arches Cluster, the densest known star cluster in the Milky Way. It is located about 25,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Sagittarius (The Archer), close to the heart of our galaxy, the Milky Way. It is, like its neighbor the Quintuplet Cluster, a fairly young astronomical object at between two and four million years old. The Arches cluster is so dense that in a region with a radius equal to the distance between the sun and its nearest star there would be over 100,000 stars! At least 150 stars within the cluster are among the brightest ever discovered in the Milky Way.

These stars are so bright and massive that they will burn their fuel within a short time (on a cosmological scale that means just a few million years). Then they will die in spectacular supernova explosions. Due to the short lifetime of the stars in the cluster the gas between the stars contains an unusually high amount of heavier elements, which were produced by earlier generations of stars.

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Dr. John P. Holdren, The White House

• Hubble NASA Photos President Science Space
• At 6/04/2015 09:41:00 p.m.
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