Human space flight — and Actress Giving Permission to Director During Auditionspace tourism — took a welcome step forward on Saturday.
That's because Virgin Galactic made New Mexico the third U.S. state to everhost a space launch. The test flight of the company's VSS Unity lifted off from Spaceport America in Truth or Consequences, NM a little after 10:30 a.m. ET on Saturday morning.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
If you've gotten into the habit of tuning in to check out SpaceX launches involving the Falcon 9 launch rocket, it's worth noting that this one is a little different. The VSS Unity is carried into the sky not by a massive rocket, but by a carrier plane.
This design, dubbed SpaceShip Two, is actually more of a spaceplane. The carrier ship, in this case the VMS Eve, ferries its spacefaring cargo up to the release altitude (44,000 feet). At that point, the Unity detaches from its mothership and ignites its own onboard rocket that takes it the rest of the way into near-orbit.
Once the rocket burn is complete, the Unity coasts along before gliding back down to the Earth and landing on a conventional runway. It never fully escapes from the pull of Earth's gravity — that's what makes it a suborbital flight. These trips aren't meant to kick off deep space journeys; in fact, Virgin Galactic's principal focus is catering to space tourism. A SpaceShip Two flight gives passengers a taste of what it's like to see their home planet from an orbital distance.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
That's exactly what happened on Saturday. The VMS Eve took flight a bit after 10:30 a.m., and it took about an hour for it to reach the correct release altitude. The Unity took flight on its own at that point, ascending up to 55.45 miles above the Earth's surface before starting its descent.
The whole flight on Saturday took about two hours, with the Unity touching down shortly before 12:30 p.m. ET. Virgin Galactic deemed the test Company founder Richard Branson was there on the ground in New Mexico to take in the scene.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
To celebrate the historic moment for New Mexico, Virgin Galactic painted a Zia Sun Symbol on the Unity's exterior, a nod to the state's flag and its indigenous Zia tribe. Green chile seeds were also part of the Unity's cargo in a nod to New Mexico's "rich agricultural and culinary history," according to a press release.
SEE ALSO: Virgin Galactic made a spaceship that can reflect its surroundings — Future Blink"The Zia Sun Symbol is one of our most sacred symbols, central to the Pueblo of Zia,” said Frederick Medina, governor of Zia Pueblo. "We are pleased that Virgin Galactic reached out to our Pueblo for permission to utilize this iconic symbol of the state of New Mexico. It is an honor to work with Virgin Galactic and to know that a part of Zia Pueblo will be traveling to space."
Every MCU movie villain ranked, from "Iron Man" to "Thunderbolts*"
Best 4K monitor deal: Save $120 on the Samsung M7 smart monitor
Shop the iPad Pro for $150 off at Amazon
Texas imposes strict new age verification law. Teen social media ban could be next.
Astronomers saw one galaxy impale another. The damage was an eye
Shop Popsocket's new Kick
Best Amazon Fire TV Cube deal: Save $40 at Amazon
NYT Connections hints and answers for May 28: Tips to solve 'Connections' #717.
Best vacuum mop combo deal: Save $140 on the Tineco Floor One S5
Best Dyson deal: Save $120 on the Dyson V8 Plus
Waitin’ on the Student Debt Jubilee
Pocket is shutting down. Here are the read
Thunder vs. Timberwolves 2025 livestream: Watch Game 5 of NBA playoffs for free
Best Mac Mini M4 2024 deal: Save $99 with an Amazon coupon
Best robot vacuum deal: Save $200 on Eufy X10 Pro Omni robot vacuum
Shop the iPad Pro for $150 off at Amazon
Best fitness deal: Snag the Hydro Pro Rower for $450 off at Amazon
Best game deal: Save 50% on 'The Last of Us' games at Amazon
Best vacuum mop combo deal: Save $140 on the Tineco Floor One S5
WhatsApp for iPad may finally be coming
'Hamilton Mixtape' has got a special show happening that you can watch right hereBoom time is over: Startups are failing as funding dries upPeople eat cash, another reason vegetarians can dislike the new fiverThe Sundance Film Festival created an entire section of climate change filmsJ.R. Smith left basket wide open because he was busy hugging an opponentThe tiny homemade Nintendo Game Boy can fit on a keyringMartin Shkreli's not mad teens made his drug for about $2 a dose, you areLeah Remini's Reddit AMA reveals juicy secrets of ScientologyIncredible drone pilot weaves teeny tiny spaces for stunning beach videoYou can now get HBO and Cinemax through AmazonThe film production company behind 'Her' is getting into video gamesActivist's Twitter campaign prompts advertisers to flee BreitbartHow to check iPhone 6S serial numbers eligible for battery replacementThe tiny homemade Nintendo Game Boy can fit on a keyringAirbnb relents, will limit how long people can rent out properties in two major citiesTeens who drifted out to sea on inflatable toys rescued by fishermenLevi's CEO writes open letter on LinkedIn: Leave your guns at homeTilda Swinton reveals why she doesn't like the 'Harry Potter' filmsHate incidents spike after Trump wins electionWill Negan die in Walking Dead Season 7? Don't count on it Who do you blame when good coders do bad things? This Braille learning tool could be a game changer for the blind community Hands on with GoPro Fusion, the company's 5.2K resolution 360 camera Twitter now warns you before a DM fail Unpacking WWDC 2017: iOS 11, iPad Pro, HomePod, iMac Pro, and more Wedding photo with actual explosion in it is the final word in dramatic wedding photos Sex discrimination lawsuits pile up in Silicon Valley—and there's no end in sight These handmade cakes are all the rage now, and it's easy to see why J.R. Smith tweets, then deletes, 'Cavs in 7' with Cleveland on brink of NBA Finals defeat The most important iOS 11 feature is one you may not want to use—but should Samsung unveils CHG90, its 49 This super intense GIF of pitcher Max Scherzer will make you rethink your MLB dreams Mischievous toddler helps spring baby brother from crib John McCain's bizarre excuse for making no sense at the Comey hearing A major new 'Pokémon Go' update is on the way For the first time ever, a video game trailer has qualified for an Oscar The Oakland A's just ended Wendy's on Twitter while defending the Warriors' honor HTC Vive's audio accessory leaving black residue for some VR users Amber Rose's 'fire ass feminist post' too hot for Instagram Justin Bieber's new song features a bunch of Victoria's Secret models
2.3921s , 8224.140625 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【Actress Giving Permission to Director During Audition】,Openness Information Network