Davey Jones' Locker 1,324 Posted August 7, 2013 Would you entrust your safety to blokes named Turnipseed and Sunshine? http://www.virgingal...c.com/our-team/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
charon 4,943 Posted August 8, 2013 A sort of yank Branson, Grant Adamson, dies at 55 in hot air balloon loses in match v power lines incident. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2386153/Grant-Adamson-The-wealthy-descendant-Malibus-founders-identified-American-tourist-killed-Swiss-hot-air-balloon-crash-injured-wife-daughters.html Was Malibu heir, wealthy benefactor type fella. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Davey Jones' Locker 1,324 Posted September 15, 2013 Branson may eventually have a new competitor: some Danish amateurs are building their own spaceship. Surprisingly, they haven't killed themselves yet. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red Flag 84 Posted October 31, 2014 SpaceShipTwo has suffered an "in-flight anomaly" in testing - or, as it's otherwise known, a crash. Reportely two people onboard with one dead: http://arstechnica.com/science/2014/10/one-feared-dead-as-virgin-galactic-spaceshiptwo-destroyed-in-test-flight/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Davey Jones' Locker 1,324 Posted October 31, 2014 SpaceShipTwo has suffered an "in-flight anomaly" in testing - or, as it's otherwise known, a crash. Reportely two people onboard with one dead: http://arstechnica.c...in-test-flight/ Reports sketchy about the death at this stage. If so though, our Spaceship Roulette competition has claimed its first victim...http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-01/virgin-galactic-spaceship-crashes-during-california-test-flight/5859442 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
maryportfuncity 10,658 Posted October 31, 2014 SpaceShipTwo has suffered an "in-flight anomaly" in testing - or, as it's otherwise known, a crash. Reportely two people onboard with one dead: http://arstechnica.c...in-test-flight/ Reports sketchy about the death at this stage. If so though, our Spaceship Roulette competition has claimed its first victim...http://www.abc.net.a...-flight/5859442 Dunno if I posted it somewhere else - like the astronauts thread - but... I read an article a while back suggesting the "spaceship roulette" problem was real. Basically pointing out that Virgin's ambitions were combining cutting edge computers and aeronautics with rocket science that wasn't keeping up. The problem being that the size of rockets in the machinery was pushing their performance to the limit. Can't Google and find it at the moment, but I'm fairly sure it was in The Guardian. As with the rocket planes 50 years ago, it might be the test pilots rather than any passengers that pay the price in development. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Davey Jones' Locker 1,324 Posted October 31, 2014 Death of co-pilot now comfirmed. Fascinating info, BTW, Maryport. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
themaninblack 2,112 Posted November 1, 2014 SpaceShipTwo has suffered an "in-flight anomaly" in testing - or, as it's otherwise known, a crash. Reportely two people onboard with one dead: http://arstechnica.c...in-test-flight/ Reports sketchy about the death at this stage. If so though, our Spaceship Roulette competition has claimed its first victim...http://www.abc.net.a...-flight/5859442 Dunno if I posted it somewhere else - like the astronauts thread - but... I read an article a while back suggesting the "spaceship roulette" problem was real. Basically pointing out that Virgin's ambitions were combining cutting edge computers and aeronautics with rocket science that wasn't keeping up. The problem being that the size of rockets in the machinery was pushing their performance to the limit. Can't Google and find it at the moment, but I'm fairly sure it was in The Guardian. As with the rocket planes 50 years ago, it might be the test pilots rather than any passengers that pay the price in development. Absolutely. As we've seen with the other rocket failure this week that technology is still fallible and stuck in the 1950s... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
One shot Paddy 1,206 Posted November 1, 2014 SpaceShipTwo has suffered an "in-flight anomaly" in testing - or, as it's otherwise known, a crash. Reportely two people onboard with one dead: http://arstechnica.c...in-test-flight/ Reports sketchy about the death at this stage. If so though, our Spaceship Roulette competition has claimed its first victim...http://www.abc.net.a...-flight/5859442 Dunno if I posted it somewhere else - like the astronauts thread - but... I read an article a while back suggesting the "spaceship roulette" problem was real. Basically pointing out that Virgin's ambitions were combining cutting edge computers and aeronautics with rocket science that wasn't keeping up. The problem being that the size of rockets in the machinery was pushing their performance to the limit. Can't Google and find it at the moment, but I'm fairly sure it was in The Guardian. As with the rocket planes 50 years ago, it might be the test pilots rather than any passengers that pay the price in development. Absolutely. As we've seen with the other rocket failure this week that technology is still fallible and stuck in the 1950s... There have only been 2 rocket systems never to have a catastrophic failure (Blue Streak and Saturn V), the things are just a (barley) controlled explosion with some poor sod sitting on top! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Davey Jones' Locker 1,324 Posted November 2, 2014 Safety expert says "I told you so!" http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-03/virgin-wasnt-up-to-speed-and-warned-about-safety/5861512 Apparently they were trying a new type of rocket fuel that had only been used in ground tests before. I wonder how many of the celeb passengers will get cold feet and pull out of our Spaceship Roulette competition now... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
maryportfuncity 10,658 Posted November 2, 2014 SpaceShipTwo has suffered an "in-flight anomaly" in testing - or, as it's otherwise known, a crash. Reportely two people onboard with one dead: http://arstechnica.c...in-test-flight/ Reports sketchy about the death at this stage. If so though, our Spaceship Roulette competition has claimed its first victim...http://www.abc.net.a...-flight/5859442 Dunno if I posted it somewhere else - like the astronauts thread - but... I read an article a while back suggesting the "spaceship roulette" problem was real. Basically pointing out that Virgin's ambitions were combining cutting edge computers and aeronautics with rocket science that wasn't keeping up. The problem being that the size of rockets in the machinery was pushing their performance to the limit. Can't Google and find it at the moment, but I'm fairly sure it was in The Guardian. As with the rocket planes 50 years ago, it might be the test pilots rather than any passengers that pay the price in development. Absolutely. As we've seen with the other rocket failure this week that technology is still fallible and stuck in the 1950s... There have only been 2 rocket systems never to have a catastrophic failure (Blue Streak and Saturn V), the things are just a (barley) controlled explosion with some poor sod sitting on top! So, rather appropriately, that's a description that would also fit losing your virginity! 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Davey Jones' Locker 1,324 Posted November 3, 2014 Branson lashes out at media. He claims the fuel tank did not explode but that a feathering system might have deployed too early: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-04/no-explosion-behind-virgin-galactic-crash-branson/5864110 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
maryportfuncity 10,658 Posted November 4, 2014 Branson lashes out at media. He claims the fuel tank did not explode but that a feathering system might have deployed too early: http://www.abc.net.a...branson/5864110 Leaving pilot error as a possible cause and - shock horror - suggesting that much maligned spacecraft might be, like, safe. Not exactly convinced of that, myself. Have any DLer's, like, bought a ticket? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Davey Jones' Locker 1,324 Posted November 4, 2014 Richard Branson is still intending to take his family up to show he has confidence in his toy: http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/531222/Sir-Richard-Branson-Virgin-Galactic-family-space On a side note, I first heard about this on the news last night. When I typed "richard branson family" into Google just now to find an article, the search engine now presents a list of all his relatives above the actual search results. The search engine just got that little bit more intrusive... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rotten Ali 600 Posted November 5, 2014 But the next space plane won't be ready till 2016 so you can scrub him off your major risk list for now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Davey Jones' Locker 1,324 Posted July 28, 2015 Lax pilot training was to blame for Virgin Galactic's first fatality, according to US investigators: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-29/virgin-galactic-crash-blamed-on-lax-pilot-training/6655448 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dead Wait 1,149 Posted August 26, 2016 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37198354 Near death experience - yes, his words! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
John Kettley 49 Posted August 26, 2016 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37198354 Near death experience - yes, his words! Not near enough, to quote Mike Mills (or perhaps even Michael Stipe) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
En Passant 3,743 Posted August 26, 2016 Another high profile 'helmet saved my life' nobber. You landed on your face and shoulder, you said it yourself Dicky. /end cyclist rant Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Davey Jones' Locker 1,324 Posted April 6, 2018 On 01/11/2014 at 05:38, Davey Jones' Locker said: Reports sketchy about the death at this stage. If so though, our Spaceship Roulette competition has claimed its first victim... http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-01/virgin-galactic-spaceship-crashes-during-california-test-flight/5859442 Our Celebrity Spaceship Roulette competition will be starting up again soon: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-06/virgin-galactic-conducts-first-powered-flight-of-new-spaceship/9626706 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YoungWillz 21,076 Posted May 26, 2018 The 67 year old Virgin is in training to blast off into space within months: https://metro.co.uk/2018/05/26/sir-richard-branson-is-training-to-become-an-astronaut-and-planning-a-journey-into-space-7578619/ If the training doesn't kill him, maybe the flight will. Just let us know the celebrity passenger list in advance, Dicky love.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Davey Jones' Locker 1,324 Posted September 14, 2018 Spaceship Roulette is back on! Not Branson this time but rather Elon Musk"s mob are about to announce the name of their first passenger on their trip around the moon/suicide journey: https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-spacex-passenger/spacex-signs-first-private-passenger-to-fly-around-the-moon-idUKKCN1LU04A Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
msc 18,483 Posted September 14, 2018 8 minutes ago, Davey Jones' Locker said: Spaceship Roulette is back on! Not Branson this time but rather Elon Musk"s mob are about to announce the name of their first passenger on their trip around the moon/suicide journey: https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-spacex-passenger/spacex-signs-first-private-passenger-to-fly-around-the-moon-idUKKCN1LU04A Quote “Find out who’s flying and why on Monday, September 17,” SpaceX said in a tweet on Thursday. Find out who's going on the shortlist ten seconds later... Apparently the favourite is this guy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grim Up North 3,727 Posted September 14, 2018 17 minutes ago, msc said: Find out who's going on the shortlist ten seconds later... Apparently the favourite is this guy. A theme team might do spectacularly well that year........ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
msc 18,483 Posted September 14, 2018 25 minutes ago, Grim Up North said: A theme team might do spectacularly well that year........ Imagine the launch is January 1st. Twenty celebs. Shortest DDP race in history. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
