Virgin Galactic 2014-10-31

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Pigeon
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Re: Solar Activity

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Re: Solar Activity

Post by Pigeon » Sun Nov 02, 2014 3:21 pm

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Re: Solar Activity

Post by Pigeon » Sun Nov 02, 2014 3:25 pm

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Pilots: It is not known who is was killed today. Rick 'CJ' Struckow (far left) is fine, a family friend told MailOnline. Another, Todd Ericson (not pictured) was confirmed alive by a relative on social media. The conditions of Peter Siebold (center right, arms folded), Michael Masucci and chief pilot David Mackay are not known

Onlookers saw at least one parachute from the craft, which has two crew members. One bystander, space blogger Doug Messier, raced to the wreckage and reportedly saw the dead pilot strapped into his seat, missing body parts.

In an interview uploaded to Youtube, he told Space.com: '...We drove out and found one of the debris areas, there was debris all - it had hit the edge of the road. there were pieces of the fuselage and pieces of debris on the road, and also in the brush all around.

'There was a seat with a body in it - I don't know who it was.

'I didn't get a look of it or come close to it for obvious reasons. There was a shoe, a boot with a foot in it on the road and parts of body.'

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Re: Solar Activity

Post by Pigeon » Sun Nov 02, 2014 3:34 pm

SpaceShipTwo has four FAA approved pilots: Rick 'CJ' Sturckow, Michael Masucci, Todd 'Leif' Ericson and Peter Siebold. Chief pilot David Mackay could also have been flying.

The pilot who died in the crash has been identified as Michael Alsbury

Are the Scaled Composite pilots a different group?

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Re: Virgin Galactic 2014-10-31

Post by Pigeon » Sun Nov 02, 2014 3:48 pm

Scaled Composites, the company developing the spaceship for Virgin Galactic, issued a statement Saturday calling Alsbury "a respected and devoted colleague."

Peter Siebold, who piloted SpaceShipTwo and survived, was alert and talking with his family and doctors Saturday, the statement said


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Re: Virgin Galactic 2014-10-31

Post by Pigeon » Sun Nov 02, 2014 3:52 pm

Alsbury had at least 15 years of flight experience and logged more than 1,600 hours as a test pilot and test engineer, according to a biography posted on the Society of Flight Test Engineers' website. He was listed on the website as an event speaker for the group last year.

At Scaled Composites, Alsbury participated in the flight testing of nine different manned aircraft and co-piloted SpaceShipTwo when it broke the sound barrier during its first powered flight last year.

He was also sitting in the co-pilot's seat when the craft first dropped in 2010 from its carrier aircraft several miles above the Earth for an unpowered glide test.

Alsbury flew primarily as the craft's co-pilot, logging at least seven trips from 2010 to early 2014, according to test-flight logs.

Alsbury's next-door neighbor in Tehachapi, California

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