Virgin Galactics second commercial flight sent three tourists to spaces edge

Date:
Thu, 10 Aug 2023 15:35:00 +0000

Description:
The 'VSS Unity' in orbit during the Galactic-01 mission. Virgin Galactic The 'VSS Unity' carried the first mother-daughter astronaut duo and first former Olympian to suborbital space. The post Virgin Galactics second commercial flight sent three tourists to spaces edge appeared first on Popular Science .

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The 'VSS Unity' in orbit during the Galactic-01 mission. Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactics second commercial spaceflight successfully launched today at 11:23 from the companys Spaceport America site in New Mexico. The spaceflight reached an altitude of around 290,000 feet at about two and a half minutes post-takeoff.

Aboard the Galactic-02 missions reusable VSS Unity spaceplane were the first mother-daughter visitors to space, Keisha and Anastatia Mayers, along with former Olympian and Brit Jon Goodwin . At 18-years-old, University of
Aberdeen physics and philosophy student Anastatia Mayers is now the youngest person to embark on such a journey.

Similar to rival private space ventures like Jeff Bezos Blue Origin , Virgin Galactics VSS Unity technically only reaches a suborbital altitude , which technically is not outer space, per se. A fair amount of back-and-forth between experts still exists on the actual atmospheric boundary, space itself is considered to begin roughly 62 miles (327,360 feet) above the Earths surfacea demarcation known as the Krmn line . This height still allows for several minutes of weightlessness along with a view of Earths curvature beneath the inky blackness of space. Unlike Blue Origin or SpaceX vehicles, however, travelers first ascend while attached to a carrier plane, VMS Eve , before Unity detaches and ignites its rockets to reach its suborbital destination.

[Related: Virgin Galactic will fly you to space for the price of a house .]

The Galactic-02 crew also includes commander C.J. Sturckow, pilot Kelly Latimer, and Virgin Galactics astronaut instructor, Beth Moses. As Antiguans, the Mayers are the first female astronauts from the Caribbean. The Mayers won their seats via a drawing that raised funds for Space for Humanity , a non-profit aimed at providing sponsored trips for emerging world leaders to experience the Overview Effect .

I cannot wait to go above the earths atmosphere and experience the different energy from here on Earth, Keisha Mayers said in her Virgin Galactic
astronaut biography . To represent my island, Antigua, is truly an honor. I hope my journey will inspire others to reach for their dreams as well.

Goodwin is also the second person diagnosed with Parkinsons Disease to ever travel to space, following astronaut Rich Clifford . Goodwin is an early Virgin Galactic ticket holder, according to the Virgin Galactic press statement .

Virgin Galactics first successful commercial flight took place on June 29,
and served as a research mission for the Italian Air Force.

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Link to news story: https://www.popsci.com/technology/virgin-galactic-second-flight/


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