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How dangerous is it to send Jeff Bezos to the edge of space?

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A Blue Origin spokesperson declined to answer questions from WIRED about the training the Bezos brothers will receive before the flight and how the capsule controls and navigation work, instead a page on his website which says New Shepard has made 15 successful flights, including three tests of its capsule abortion system, which will allow it to disconnect from the rocket if something goes wrong at launch or while it is on top.

Virgin Galactic’s VSS unity it is similar to a rocket plane with wings. Six-seater polished chrome is carried at an altitude of about 50,000 meters by a specially designed double-fuselage aircraft WhiteKnightTwo. The rocket plane is released from under the plane, and then it starts the engines for 60 seconds, exploding to the edge of the 50-kilometer-high space, where it can spend a few minutes wandering for joy. When it reaches the peak, the rear half of the vehicle folds upwards, which creates it high drag design, aerodynamically stable the craft allows it to float like a badminton shuttle. The larger drag keeps the speed of the vessel low, while the folded shape keeps the craft in the right position. Then, after slowing down and reaching a lower height, the wings fold down again. The spacecraft returns to its original position and lands as an aircraft on a runway, in this case, Virgin’s New Mexico spaceport. The entire trip takes about 90 minutes from start to finish, and there are no bathrooms on board.

Virgin Galactic has had some serious setbacks for this year’s human flights. unity is the company’s second SpaceShipTwo space plan. In 2007, three employees of Scaled Composites, a company that builds crafts for the Virgin, were killed at a Mojave Desert facility while testing SpaceShipTwo rocket engines. Scansed Composites was funded by Branson at the time.

In 2014, the next version of SpaceShipTwo exploded in the air, killing one co-pilot and seriously injuring the pilot in a test. Federal Accident Investigators inadequate design protection, lax regulatory oversight, and a potential co-pilot with no experience in recent flights have been found to be important factors in the accident. At the time, Virgin officials said they were making changes to the system the wing position could not be released earlier A pilot has committed the incident that caused the accident, according to federal investigation.

Despite these events, Virgin Galactic has not given up, and has made the latest …and successful – crew flight VSS unity at the end of May. unityThe latest version of SpaceShipTwo has been modified to include increased security measures, including a cabin pressurization system that will maintain life support if something happens on any part of the trip. The spacecraft also has an escape system for crew and passengers, according to Aleanna Crane, vice president of communications for Virgin Galactic Communications.

Prior to the departure, Branson and the rest of the passengers will undergo a three-day training to get used to the flight and review procedures at Virgin’s New Mexico space port, Crane added.

Virgin is reviewing May 22 flight data before planning the next one, which will require an FAA license. This means that it is not yet clear before the excursion scheduled by Bezos for July 20 to reach the Branson space. “We will have three additional test flights, two of them in the summer,” Crane said from London. “One of them will have Richard on board.”

The third test flight will feature three members of the Italian Air Force for the research mission.

NASA astronauts say that flying on a short suborbital journey is not like traveling to the International Space Station. Vehicles like NASA’s retired Space Shuttle or the new SpaceX Crew Dragon are subject to certain rockets to enter orbit, as well as complex life support, propulsion, navigation and … avionics systems tell the rocket where to go. Some of these systems are automated; others require a trained pilot, for example, when docking with the ISS. In contrast, the two new commercial spacecraft are simpler in design and operation, according to Doug Hurley, a former NASA astronaut pilot. the first Crew Dragon spacecraft to the ISS In May 2020, with colleague Bob Behnken.

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