Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo Test Flight [VIDEO]

20 May 2011

Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo, the commercial spaceflight vehicle, recently had its seventh test flight, dropped from a height of 15km to see if it could adjust speed and bearing with various wing configurations. Which sounds technically fancy, but really just looks insanely cool.
Say the dudes over at WIRED:

After establishing a stable glide, test pilot Pete Siebold raised the twin booms that comprise the tail of SS2 into the feather position. On an actual sub-orbital space flight, this would be done while still in space where there would be no aerodynamic forces on the vehicle.
…
The feather position allows the space craft to reenter the atmosphere at a slow enough speed to reduce the heating problems that can occur as friction with the atmosphere increases. It also simplifies the process compared to needing a precise glide angle for reentry in order to avoid skipping off of the atmosphere.

Which sounds fancy, but again guys: rocket ships. No need to over-sell.
[Source: WIRED]