Aircraft for space tourism to be unveiled

Observers of the infant private spaceflight industry are encouraged by the progress, but note that the main attraction — the actual spaceship that will carry passengers — is yet to come.

"It's a positive step forward," said space analyst John Logsdon of George Washington University. "The real indication of progress will be showing a spaceship that's on the path that's ready to fly."

Monday's unveiling comes a year after an explosion at Scaled Composites' test site killed three technicians. The company, now owned by Northrop Grumman Corp., is appealing a state fine of $28,870 for workplace violations in connection with the blast, which occurred during the development of SpaceShipTwo's propellant system.

Exactly when tourists will experience zero gravity or see Earth's curvature is unknown, but the project already lags Virgin Galactic's 2004 prediction that passengers would be in space last year.

Whitehorn declined to set a date for commercial travel, but he said the earliest flights to space could be late 2009 or early 2010. The maiden voyage has been reserved for Branson and his family; Virgin Galactic plans to rename the aircraft "Eve" after Branson's mother, a former glider pilot instructor and flight attendant.

Plans call for White Knight Two to carry SpaceShipTwo 50,000 feet (15,151 meters) in the air, tucked beneath its single wing, before releasing it. SpaceShipTwo will then power its hybrid rocket and climb into space. Before gliding back to Earth, it will use a Rutan-designed "feathering" technique — in which the wings are rotated upward from the fuselage to reduce the heat of re-entry.

The 2 1/2-hour trip is expected to include about five minutes of weightlessness. Unlike the space shuttle that orbits Earth, early space tourism plans involve flights that simply go up and come back down.

Virgin Galactic has pledged more than $250 million toward the project; about $100 million has been spent so far, Whitehorn said.

Virgin Galactic already has lofty plans for White Knight Two besides space tourism. Company executives envision the aircraft can be used as a launcher of small satellites into low Earth orbit. With the proper permits, the craft can also be adapted to fight wildfires or be used as an emergency rescue vehicle.

But before it can get off the ground, it needs to emerge from its secret hangar.

MORE FROM SPACE

Space Section Front

Wild solar system spotted around distant star    Ex-astronaut pleads guilty in attack Russia sends research module to space station After letdown, solar-sail project rises again Black holes: Powerhouses of the universe Space elevator team wins $900,000 from NASA Space junk buzzes station while crew sleeps Moon’s ‘friends’ say no to future lunar crashes New survey finds 22 of the earliest galaxies   Month in space: What a blast! Space Section Front   Add Space headlines to your news reader: