Figure 1: Representative image of Virgin's commercial spaceflight
Whoever said “the sky is the limit” clearly wasn’t dreaming big enough, as this tremendous pillar of space tourism proves. The idea was planted in man's mind when the historic Apollo 11 rocket took Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to the moon in June 1969 . He immediately developed an obsession with exploring space to a depth that was previously considered non-existent. He then sent the satellite, a “traveler” that already crossed the border of our solar system (entered the Oort cloud) at the end of last year, after 35 years of travel. Since then, few people have gone to space to obtain the privilege of being called “Astronaut” . To become an astronaut, you need exceptional credentials, a lot of experience and rigorous training to adapt to the extreme conditions of space. Odyssey
When we watch videos of space shuttle launches and the amazing views of Earth from space, we always dream of being in a place like that, a place where we feel bigger than Earth, and all the extravagant images that deep, dark space has to offer. offer us. Each of us at least once in our childhood dreamed of being an astronaut. This dream was initially inaccessible for tourism purposes. Space tourism later received a price tag of $25 million, paid by a former Microsoft executive, Charles Simonyi, to accompany two other astronauts. Sir Richard Branson self-made billionaire and CEO of the Virgin group of companies saw a business opportunity in making this dream accessible.
Sir Richard Branson and Burt Rutan partnered to form the company Virgin Galactic, which aims to commercialize space travel, which started at a price of $200,000 in 2004 and currently stands at $250,000 (about Rs.1.5 crore). Clearly, it is not cheap, but it is much more economical than the 25 million dollars (today about 150 million rupees) that were previously paid by space tourists. Co-founder, Burt Rutan is the brains behind the design of Virgin Galactic's operational spacecraft concept. His project, Spaceship One (SS1) won the Ansari X award in 2004 and also the founder of the company Scaled Composites. Virgin Galactic and Scaled Composites have come together to form “The Spaceship Company” (TSC).
Passenger levels:
1. Founders : First 100 passengers, price: $200,000.
2. Pioneers : Passengers flying in the first year of operations will pay between $100,000 and $175,000.
3. Travelers : Later passengers will pay much less when operations increase.
The journey
Virgin Galactic, after acquiring the spacecraft project, licensed itself to develop the integral parts of the spaceflight called White Knight 2 and Spaceship 2 . The White Knight 2 is a large double-body transport plane built for high-altitude flying that transports the actual spacecraft, Spacecraft 2, to a certain altitude and releases it, giving it lower power requirements than it otherwise would. necessary to take off from the ground. White Knight 2 will transport Spaceship 2 from the New Mexico Spaceport . The trip will consist of a two and a half hour flight taking 6 passengers and 2 pilots 110 km above the Earth, well above the standard distance to become an astronaut (80 km ). Passengers will experience a six-minute period of weightlessness floating around the spacecraft, which has windows all around it so no view is lost. During the descent, the spacecraft re-enters the Earth's atmosphere with its wings folded (a type of free fall). Spacecraft 2 will land back at the New Mexico spaceport, returning to its starting point. For now, Spaceport America in New Mexico is the only spaceport commercially open for space travel. Plans for future spaceports in cities like Abu Dhabi, etc., are being evaluated to turn space travel into a global business.
White Knight Two
White Knight 2 is the mothership transporter for Payload Spacecraft 2 developed by “The Spaceship Company” using Burt Rutan's Ansari X award-winning concept, White Knight 1. The first White Knight 2 was revealed in 2008 and named Virgin Mothership Eve (named after Richard Branson's mother). White Knight 2 will undock the spacecraft near the ceiling of Earth's atmosphere. Therefore, the problems he may face are:
Problem 1 : An equal mass distribution for the fuselage (main section of the aircraft body that carries the crew and passengers) of White Knight 2 and Spacecraft 2 such that too much mass is not concentrated in a small area.
Solution : The double fuselage , one on each side of the midsection where Spacecraft 2 will be carried provides uniform mass distribution on the top-loaded wings. Additionally, a W-shaped wing section that is elevated in the center section provides mass distribution as well as good ground clearance required for spacecraft 2 assembly.
Problem 2 : The pressure at such high altitudes is extremely low (almost vacuum) that the pressure difference with the cabin pressure (1 atm.) will create a high deformation force on the body and engines. Therefore, the material used must be strong to withstand the pressure and also light (low density) so that the engines can push it upward against the Earth's gravitational pull.
Solution : The solution involves an ideal balance between weight and strength in the material selection process. Regular commercial and military aircraft use aluminum alloys, allowing for a ceiling of around 35,000 to 40,000 feet, but when it came to designing the Whiteknight 2, Burt Rutan left all conventions behind. As a result, the White Knight 2 is the largest all-carbon composite aircraft in the world . Carbon composites are not found naturally on Earth, but must be synthesized artificially using just the right fractions, making them a metallurgical marvel.
Figure 2: A typical powered glider
As a result, White Knight 2 can fly up to 50,000 feet above Earth and the carbon composite makes it so strong that it can fly in zero-gravity parabolic trajectories, duplicating Spacecraft 2's flight plan (a parabolic trajectory will allow the crew experience weightlessness, also known as Zero G, i.e. zero gravity), and on the other hand can also perform 6G turns (six times the gravitational force). The Whiteknight 2 is powered by four Pratt and Whitney PW308A turbojet engines . It was designed to carry the 60-foot long by 27-foot wide Spacecraft 2, having a 50-foot gap between the twin fuselage along with the W-shaped wing, making the payload section easily available from the ground. It can also carry the Launcher One payload, which is capable of sending small satellites into low Earth orbit.
Spaceship Two
Spacecraft two will carry eight people (6 passengers and 2 pilots) at an altitude of 110kms above Earth. The two White Knights will disengage Spacecraft 2 at an altitude of 15 km (50,000 ft), after which the single hybrid rocket engine (the RocketMotor 2 ) will take the spacecraft to supersonic speeds in just eight seconds (4,200 km/h). H). After 70 seconds, the rocket engine shuts down when it reaches its maximum altitude. It was first unveiled in 2009 and its first gliding flight was performed on October 10, 2010, first powered flight on April 29, 2013. Recently, SS2 conducted its third rocket-powered flight on January 10. 2014 .
Figure 3: Image of Spaceship Two
Dimensions:
Cab length: 3.66 m (12 ft)
Cab diameter: 2.28 m (7.5 ft)
Wingspan: 8.23 m (27 ft)
Total length: 18.29 m (60 ft)
Tail height: 4.57 m (15 ft)
The important features of spacecraft two are
I. Double carbon composite shell which are like a sandwich structure with a honeycomb middle layer, making it stronger and lighter.
ii. The Hybrid Rocket Engine (RocketMotor Two) powered by part solid and part liquid. Nitrous oxide is used as an oxidizer to burn the fuel, it is contained in a pressurized tank behind the cabin. This nitrous oxide flows from a CTN (casing, throat and nozzle) that has emitted solid fuel ( tire rubber fuel ) after being ignited by an ignition system. The CTN system eventually burns out and must be replaced on the next flight.
iii. Thrusters , which help the SS2 perform rotation, pitch and yaw. They are pressurized containers of air that provide thrust in the opposite direction to the required movement.
4. Double pane windows (43cm and 47cm in diameter) , which surround the cabin providing numerous views of the land. They are made to withstand the difference in pressure, turning them into a fiberglass structure rather than a straight glass mold.
v. Rudders and Elevons , while gliding back to Earth, help maneuver the spacecraft to make course corrections. They alter the airflow over the flying surface to adjust the pitch and angle.
saw. Two hatches , one used for entry and exit and the other for emergency use.
viii. Feather mechanism with pneumatic (air pressure actuators) controllers to rotate the wings. During reentry, the wings rotate to a vertical position, increasing surface area in the direction of flow to increase drag force. This will reduce the speed of fall, which can reach 25,000 km/h. The spacecraft will shift to a glide position about 15 miles away to land back at the New Mexico spaceport. (You can see this at 1:46 min in the posted video.)
Figure 4: Image of the Virgin Galactic airship
The current fleet of TSC (The Spaceship Company) two WhiteKnight Two Mother ships and more than five SpaceShip Two spaceships (Virgin Mother Ships and Virgin Space Ships)
1. VMS Eve
2. Spirit VMS by Steve Fossett
3. VSS Company
4. VSS Voyager (named after the popular spaceship from the movie Star Trek)
Figure 5: Founder of the Virgin Group, Richard Branson
Launcher One
With the advancement of nanotechnology and electronics, devices are increasingly smaller and more precise. The same is the case with satellites. They are getting smaller in size, smarter in brains and cheaper in cost. The only thing stopping this rapid advancement is the way they are sent into space. Conventional rockets cost millions of dollars and a tremendous waste of fuel and material to send a small satellite. The launcher was built to solve this flaw. It can be attached as a payload to both WhiteKnights. The launcher can carry a small (100 kg) satellite payload of its own. After being disengaged, the rocket engine is activated, sending it to the desired suborbital region. The primary burners disconnect from the satellite's payload, placing the satellite into orbit with the secondary thrusters. Launcher One operations are expected to begin in 2016. It will open doors for several research organizations and universities to broaden their scope to send their own satellites into space.
Spaceport America
In 2005, Virgin Galactic and the state of New Mexico announced plans to build the world's first commercial spaceport in the New Mexico desert in a state-funded deal costing $200 million . It will consist of a 3.2 km long track. The spaceport design by UK-based Foster and partners. Its curvaceous shape and futuristic interiors delight aspiring astronauts and add to the excitement of going to space. It is designed to have a minimalist impact on the environment and provide an aesthetic vision. It is powered by solar panels and consists of environmentally friendly heating, cooling and ventilation systems.
Virgin Galactic will lead its operations at Spaceport America in the near future. Spaceport America is divided into three zones.
I. Western : Administrative offices of the Virgin Galactic and New Mexico Space Authorities.
ii. Central : Hangars, maintenance and flight operations
iii. Oriental : Departure lounge, astronaut dressing rooms, clubhouse, canteen and training center.
Security and future scope
Space exploration has seen its share of disasters and fatal catastrophes, from Apollo 13 in 1960 to the space shuttle Columbia in 2003. These programs were funded by government organizations. Space tourism, on the other hand, will be conducted by private companies around the world. The main concern for any potential customer would be the safety of space travel. When a person pays such large amounts of money, the least they would expect is a firewall for their security. Virgin Galactic is no less concerned about providing safety than its passengers themselves. The technology they use is selected primarily for economy and safety, for example, the hybrid rocket engine is much less prone to accidents and its propulsion is less violent and more controlled than liquid-fueled rockets.
Virgin Galactic and Scaled Composites are certain they will be the first to enter this newly created market sector, after facing rumors of competition from several other private companies working on commercial suborbital passenger spaceflight.