Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo has crashed

[lotstodo]

BREAKING: Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo has crashed during a test flight over the Mojave desert. Initial reports are that the ship exploded or experienced a fire upon engine start at high altitude after being released from the carrier aircraft. It appears at this time that the ship is destroyed, one pilot is dead, and one has been rushed to the hospital in critical condition.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/virgin-galactic-s-spaceshiptwo-crashes-during-test-flight-1.2819996

 

[J-man]

They just don't make good engineers like they used to. LTD you need to come out of retirement.

 

[Guard Dad]

They just don't make good engineers like they used to. LTD you need to come out of retirement.

Or our former Sunday School teacher.

 

[lotstodo]

I don't know nuttin 'bout birthin' no spacecraft.

 

[mei lan]

I don't know nuttin 'bout birthin' no spacecraft.

I like you.

 

[Guard Dad]

I coulda fixed it.

Just strap GC to it and it would have plenty of thrust.

 

[markdavd]

Probably too many old farts guys involved.

I read recently that the average age of the engineers who put man on the moon was around 27. That means at least half of those involved were barley out of college.

Imagine putting a project like that in the hands of a bunch of 20-somethings today.

 

[lotstodo]

For my money, the guys carrying the ball today are every bit as much heroes as those back in the day. They are still pushing the existing technology and discovering the new and doing so on budget. They are taking what we know is possible and making it practical, which is sometimes a greater challenge than simply throwing massive amounts of taxpayer money at a problem. Market oriented privatization is the future of space flight, with governments being just one of the potential customers.

As for the aeronauts/astronauts/pilots testing the unknown capabilities of today's cutting edge flying machines, who can stand here and tell me that the two who crashed last week are less heroes than any who went before. Americans have a long history of risking their lives to further our knowledge and capabilities, and just because some of them are not on the government payroll does not make their contribution and bravery any less worthy. In fact, in the decades leading up to the space program, the first men to fly new planes were employees of the contractors like Boeing , Lockheed, Hughes, and General Dynamics, every one a hero in my book.