Virgin Galactic Completes First Test Flight

Now here's my question of the day: if the SpaceShipTwo is labeled as the VSS Enterprise, does that make Sir Richard Branson a modern-day Zefram Cochrane?

Not unless his ship can hit warp speeds

No because they aren't testing warp engines, and without a warp signature the vulcans aren't gonna show themselves..

Seeing as Apple is suing the pants off everybody, I think its a safe assumption to say...

Apple lawsuit in T-minus 3....2....1....

Zefram Cochrane isn't in it to make money.

^actually money is exactly what he said he was in it for.

1. Zefram Cochrane was the first to go warp speed to the edge of the solar system, this guy is just skimming the surface.
2. Zefram Cochrane was in it for the money and only the money (at first)
3. nice to see space travel privatized, now that Obama kicked NASA in the balls.

Now here's my question of the day: if the SpaceShipTwo is labeled as the VSS Enterprise, does that make Sir Richard Branson a modern-day Zefram Cochrane?

Zefram Cochrane had nothing to do with the construction of the Enterprise. Also, he wasn't (isn't? won't be?) a billionaire playboy.

Holy dork fight batman!

And Cochrane didn't have a naked super model on his back while doing water sports.

Its good to be the king.

yah.. you know how to google that.

I thought the photo was cool. Interesting dual fuselage design for the carrier plane.

So what's the deal behind this? So the VSS Enterpise got up to 45000 ft - with the help of another dual fuselage plane...I'm sure if you put me in that plane I too can get to 45K ft. Sooooo....what did this test prove?

Since WhiteKnightTwo probably hasn't been tested with the VSS Enterprise below it, my assumption is that they were ensuring that WhiteKnightTwo is fully capable of taking the VSS Enterprise up to it's launch location (Which is somewhere near 45000ft IIRC). It will give them some usable and useful data for final tweaks and upgrades to the WhiteKnightTwo.

I mean, would you test a new car without first testing the engine? Probably not.
Would a software developer publish his application before testing it thoroughly? No.
We all care because we care about spaceflight, stop being such a pointless skeptic.

What it proved, at a minimum:
1) The combined aircraft were stable at that altitude.
2) Hull integrity, life support - air's pretty thin out there at 45,000 ft. (15% of sea level pressure) and a tad chill to boot (-70F). Remember Scaled Composites/The Spaceship Factory does't have a huge environmental chamber to test things in like NASA.
3) If for some reason they can't launch VSS, then the combined aircraft can descend and land safely.

FYI 45000ft is the Service Ceiling of a Learjet 24d. Most Learjets are certified to 51000ft.

That being said, I'm sure this is a great accomplishment, but the article doesn't indicate why.

Yes. Yes, yes and yes.


I used to think that the whole space race was a pointless waste of money, but then I started thinking that the next big step for humanity is to colonize other planets.
Preferably by a responsible government (like Canada) or worldwide organization (such as the U.N.), not a corporation.

NASA has been on its lazy ass for far too long. We should have colonized the moon 10-20 years ago. Even if there are no usable resources, just for the sake of proving that it can be done.

So, to everybody here, this is to another 50 years of advancement. Good luck and happy memories to all. I hope we have a thousand people or move living in space before I die.

Dude, NASA probably would have been. They aren't lazy, their budget has just been constantly and consistently brutally murdered.

Imagine if the money going to Iraq and Afghanistan were pumped into NASA instead - the Moon would not do, Mars first step!

Am I the only one who can see that the "twin-plane" has 3 hulls and not 2? just a thought...?

Error in First Contact - Cochrane takes them at warp 1 for a good few seconds. If that's the case, then how come, when they turn about, the Earth is not even half a million miles away?

Branson could probably achieve THAT.

Because Zephram Cochrane's warp drive didn't break the speed of light - that didn't come until the Vulcans helped improve the technology a few years later.

The film was based around humanity's first warp flight, which was warp 1 (speed of light). He didn't break light speed, merely matched it.

In any case, flying along merrily at warp 1 for, say, 10 seconds (just an example) would put you nearly 2 million miles from Earth.

He never attained warp 1 - the first test was only successful in using warp fields as a means of propulsion.

In any case, it's not like Star Trek is known for its consistency ;-)

Do your reading on Space Ship One, winner of the X prize, and all will become clear.

Now here's my question of the day: if the SpaceShipTwo is labeled as the VSS Enterprise, does that make Sir Richard Branson a modern-day Zefram Cochrane?

Yes. Because in Star Trek, Zefram Cochrane only created his ship so he could retire to an island rich with lots of women. He states that in the movie. He was a narcissistic bugger.

"And Cochrane didn't have a naked super model on his back while doing water sports."

He most definitely wanted to though.

Or it could also be a resounding no, for the reasons everyone else said and because Cochrane's ship is not called "Enterprise".

If you watched the movie, you would know that he was.

It is, of course, Burt Rutan who is Zefram Cochrane, not Branson who, while being a great businessman, is not an aircraft designer. He just put up the money (and enthusiasm.)

To take a ride will cost both your arms and legs..

why do we have to name ships after Star Trek?
can't we name them VSS Wookie, VSS Vader or VSS Tydirium.

VSS Botany Bay?

Not sure what you mean by hijacking. Fact is, a lot of Starfleet ships are named as current warships are. Star Trek tries to keep the tradition going albeit way into the future.

As for Apple... at least they've not called them iPADDs.

Zephram Cochrane's ship was called the "Phoenix", you fool.