Photos: A tour of SpaceShipTwo, Virgin Galactic's passenger craft

Summary: The world's first civilian passenger spacecraft is on show at Farnborough International Airshow this week. ZDNet went down to check out the full-size replica of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo, which could be taking its first passengers to the edge of space as early as next year

By Nick Heath | July 10, 2012 -- 15:35 GMT (08:35 PDT)

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Nice pictures

This statement seems a bit off though:

"The combination of high drag and low weight, due to the very light materials used to construct the vehicle, means that the skin temperature during re-entry stays very low compared to previous manned spacecraft. Thermal protection systems such as heat shields or tiles are not needed."

The lack of need for heat shields has a lot to do with the much lower speeds it is descending at relative to braking from orbit. Geosync orbital velocity is something like 6800 mph. Peak re-entry speed for SS1 was about one-third of that.

If it were coming in from orbit like the shuttle, soyuz, or dragon, it would likely need heat shielding.

SlithyTove

10 July, 2012 17:03

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I think the statement still stands.

Even basic ballistic tests that achieve 60-120 seconds of 0G will use an ablative entry coating as a heat shield. Because these ballistic capsules have a pretty low drag coefficient, the high level atmosphere does little to slow them down until the more dense lower atmosphere is hit. This results in a a very fast rise of temperatures.

The design of SS 2 might be ably to use the very thin upper atmosphere to actually slow its decent earlier in the flight profile.

Bruizer
11 July, 2012 12:19

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- Certainly part of the equation
  
  Slowing earlier is certainly helping. But for the most part "other manned spacecraft" doesn't make for a valid comparison since they were built for achieving and slowing from orbital speed rather than dropping more or less straight down.
  
  The only craft that I know of that is really a valid comparison is the X-15 which did not receive any heat coating until its second generation, well after it had achieved sub orbital space flight.
  
  SlithyTove
  11 July, 2012 13:58
  
  Reply Vote
  - Project Mercury
    
    Suborbital. Heat shields.
    
    Having worked on these things 20 years ago, the slowing down early would really help.
    
    so yes, lighter and greater brag helps negate the need of tiles/heat shields.
    
    Bruizer
    11 July, 2012 18:59
    
    Reply Vote
    - Learn something new every day.
      
      I always thought of Mercury as orbital for some reason.
      
      Think something similar would work for orbital speeds like the shuttles 16k mph?
      
      SlithyTove
      11 July, 2012 19:37
      
      Reply Vote
I think the statement still stands.

Even basic ballistic tests that achieve 60-120 seconds of 0G will use an ablative entry coating as a heat shield. Because these ballistic capsules have a pretty low drag coefficient, the high level atmosphere does little to slow them down until the more dense lower atmosphere is hit. This results in a a very fast rise of temperatures.

The design of SS 2 might be ably to use the very thin upper atmosphere to actually slow its decent earlier in the flight profile.

Bruizer
11 July, 2012 12:20

Reply Vote