Virgin SpaceShipTwo maiden flight - Beeb news video

[ccr32]

Here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11514005

Towards the end of the video, it looks as though it touches down on some sort of flexible strut as opposed to a nosewheel - are my eyes deceiving me??

Very cool though - how long before they fire up the rocket?

[Flintstone]

ccr32 said:

Towards the end of the video, it looks as though it touches down on some sort of flexible strut as opposed to a nosewheel - are my eyes deceiving me??

Looks that way. No room for a nosewheel bay beneath the cockpit maybe? What temperatures might the nose get up to on re-entry, too warm for a tyre? I've never paid much attention to this project so don't evven know how high this goes.

[Eric Mc]

Flintstone said:

ccr32 said:

Towards the end of the video, it looks as though it touches down on some sort of flexible strut as opposed to a nosewheel - are my eyes deceiving me??

Looks that way. No room for a nosewheel bay beneath the cockpit maybe? What temperatures might the nose get up to on re-entry, too warm for a tyre? I've never paid much attention to this project so don't evven know how high this goes.

It won't get too hot. It's "re-entry" speed is not going to be much above 3,000 mph - and probably considerably less. As far as I am aware, the Virgin craft is not fitted with any special type of heat shielding - apart from the inherent heat resistence of the material from which it is made, which is a mixture of kevlar and other composites,
In comparison, a Space Shuttle returning from earth orbit re-enters the atmosphere at 17,500 mph and the Apollo Command Module on its return from the moon re-entered at 25,000 mph.