Local Virgin Galactic Spaceship Crashes In Mojave Desert

[Solitarian]

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2014/10/31/virgin-galactic-confirms-in-flight-anomaly-over-california-injuries-reported/

1 pilot reported dead, the other injured

[gary]

A live press conference was just aired on ABC News 24 TV.

The surviving test pilot transferred to a hospital.

In summary :-

Aerial footage shows large pieces of wreckage in more than one location in Mojave Desert.

One team member who watched the test launch said that nothing
anomalous appeared to happen - there was no explosion that he saw -
and that the first he knew something was amiss was when certain things
didn't happen.

At the press conference they confirmed they were using a new fuel
formulation but it had been successful in static ground tests.

The observer said the rocket's plume had a different appearance to
previous tests as a result of the new fuel mixture, but they had
expected that.

Richard Branson is en-route to the Mojave.

This is apparently about the 52nd test flight or thereabouts of the spacecraft.

Looking at the TV images, it is as if the vehicle has broken apart in flight.
Once the vehicle returns to Earth, it is a glider.
NTSB investigators are reported to be on the way.

One team member at the press conference expressed their desire to keep moving
forward with commercial spaceflight despite the tragedy.

[mr bruess]

I wouldn't be one of the first people booking a flight on it.

I'd wait until a lot of people came before me and it is extensively tested and been in service for year with proven reliability before even booking a flight.

[pluto]

I think it was only the 4th powered flight though and I think the first with that engine configuration.

A tragic reminder that even the relatively easy kind of spaceflight, suborbital, is still really hard...

Ad astra per aspera.

[gary]

Thanks Hugh,

The total number of flights for the vehicle was 55 and this was the
fourth powered flight. The others had been glide flights.

http://www.scaled.com/projects/test_logs/35/model_339_spaceshiptwo

Story on ABC web site including eye witness account here :-
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-01/virgin-galactic-spaceship-crashes-during-california-test-flight/5859442

[ZeroID]

Sorry to hear this has happened but it's a grim reminder that it's a dangerous pursuit at any time. Hope it doesn't dampen this project or others too much.