Primul zbor comercial al companiei americane de turism spaţial Virgin Galactic a ajuns joi, 29 iunie, în spaţiu, a anunţat compania fondată de miliardarul britanic Richard Branson, potrivit agenției de știri France Presse, citată de Agerpres.
Virgin Galactic, înființată în 2004, a ajuns deja de cinci ori în spaţiu, dar până în prezent doar cu membri ai companiei la bord.
Patru pasageri s-au aflat joi la bordul navei spațiale VSS Unity: doi ofiţeri superiori din forţele aeriene italiene, un inginer de la Consiliul Naţional de Cercetare (CNR) din Italia şi un angajat al Virgin Galactic care i-a însoţit. Doi piloţi s-au aflat, de asemenea, la comenzi, iar alţi doi au pilotat avionul purtător.
Nava a depăşit altitudinea de 80 de kilometri, limita care marchează începutul spaţiului conform definiţiei armatei americane, a anunţat un comentator în transmisiunea în direct a companiei. “Bine aţi venit în spaţiu, astronauţi!”, a spus Sirisha Bandla, angajată a Virgin Galactic care a efectuat la rândul său această călătorie.
După ce a fost atinsă starea de imponderabilitate, în cabină a fost desfăşurat un steag italian.
Jun 29, 2023: Images from a video released by Virgin Galactic shows a team of Italian researchers who reached the edge of space Thursday morning, flying aboard Virgin Galactic’s rocket-powered plane as the company prepares for monthly commercial flights. The flight launched from Spaceport America in the New Mexico desert, with two Italian Air Force officers and an engineer with the National Research Council of Italy focusing on a series of microgravity experiments during their few minutes of weightless. One wore a special suit that measured biometric data and physiological responses while another conducted tests using sensors to track heart rate, brain function and other metrics while in microgravity. The third studied how certain liquids and solids mix in that very weak gravity.,Image: 786095269, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no
Jun 29, 2023: Images from a video released by Virgin Galactic shows a team of Italian researchers who reached the edge of space Thursday morning, flying aboard Virgin Galactic’s rocket-powered plane as the company prepares for monthly commercial flights. The flight launched from Spaceport America in the New Mexico desert, with two Italian Air Force officers and an engineer with the National Research Council of Italy focusing on a series of microgravity experiments during their few minutes of weightless. One wore a special suit that measured biometric data and physiological responses while another conducted tests using sensors to track heart rate, brain function and other metrics while in microgravity. The third studied how certain liquids and solids mix in that very weak gravity.,Image: 786095301, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no
Jun 29, 2023: Images from a video released by Virgin Galactic shows a team of Italian researchers who reached the edge of space Thursday morning, flying aboard Virgin Galactic’s rocket-powered plane as the company prepares for monthly commercial flights. The flight launched from Spaceport America in the New Mexico desert, with two Italian Air Force officers and an engineer with the National Research Council of Italy focusing on a series of microgravity experiments during their few minutes of weightless. One wore a special suit that measured biometric data and physiological responses while another conducted tests using sensors to track heart rate, brain function and other metrics while in microgravity. The third studied how certain liquids and solids mix in that very weak gravity.,Image: 786095254, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no
Jun 29, 2023: Images from a video released by Virgin Galactic shows a team of Italian researchers who reached the edge of space Thursday morning, flying aboard Virgin Galactic’s rocket-powered plane as the company prepares for monthly commercial flights. The flight launched from Spaceport America in the New Mexico desert, with two Italian Air Force officers and an engineer with the National Research Council of Italy focusing on a series of microgravity experiments during their few minutes of weightless. One wore a special suit that measured biometric data and physiological responses while another conducted tests using sensors to track heart rate, brain function and other metrics while in microgravity. The third studied how certain liquids and solids mix in that very weak gravity.,Image: 786095280, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no
This still image from a Virgin Galactic video shows Galactic 01 mission crew members from the Italian Air Force display the Italian flag as they reach space during the first commercial flight from Spaceport City in New Mexico on June 29, 2023. Virgin Galactic on June 29 began commercial spaceflights, a major milestone for the company founded in 2004 by British billionaire Richard Branson. Its first paying customers are a three-member crew from the Italian Air Force and National Research Council of Italy, with a fourth seat occupied by a Virgin Galactic astronaut instructor.,Image: 786084921, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE – MANDATORY CREDIT “AFP PHOTO / Virgin Galactic” – NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS – DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS, ***
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This still image from a Virgin Galactic video shows the Galactic 01 mission spacecraft returning to Earth after the first commercial flight from Spaceport City in New Mexico on June 29, 2023. Virgin Galactic on June 29 began commercial spaceflights, a major milestone for the company founded in 2004 by British billionaire Richard Branson. Its first paying customers are a three-member crew from the Italian Air Force and National Research Council of Italy, with a fourth seat occupied by a Virgin Galactic astronaut instructor.,Image: 786086021, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE – MANDATORY CREDIT “AFP PHOTO / Virgin Galactic” – NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS – DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS, ***
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Misiunea, numită Galactic 01, a decolat de la baza Spaceport America, în deşertul statului american New Mexico.
Un uriaş avion purtător a decolat la ora locală 8:30 de pe o pistă obişnuită. Aproximativ o oră mai târziu, la o altitudine de circa 15 kilometri, acesta a lansat nava, VSS Unity, un avion-rachetă care seamănă cu avion privat. Acesta a pornit motorul şi a accelerat pe verticală.
Timp de câteva minute în imponderabilitate, pasagerii au putut să se desprindă de scaune şi să plutească în cabină. Ulterior, nava a coborât aterizând pe aceeaşi pistă.
Richard Branson a efectuat această scurtă călătorie în spaţiu în iulie 2021, cu aproape doi ani în urmă. Administraţia Federală pentru Aviaţie (FAA) din SUA a blocat apoi temporar la sol nava pentru a investiga o deviere de la traiectorie în timpul acestui zbor foarte mediatizat.
Virgin Galactic a anunţat o suspendare a operaţiunilor sale, dedicată îmbunătăţirii motorului său, pauză ce a durat mult mai mult decât era preconizat.
În mai, compania a realizat în sfârşit zborul test final înainte de debutul operaţiunilor comerciale.
Biletele au ajuns să coste 450.000 de dolari
Primul zbor spaţial comercial al Virgin Galactic este o etapă aşteptată de mulţi ani, iar aproximativ 800 de clienţi, inclusiv unele vedete, şi-au achiziţionat deja bilete, la un preţ iniţial cuprins între 200.000 şi 250.000 de dolari americani pe pasager, cost ce a fost ulterior ridicat la 450.000 de dolari americani.
Programul spaţial al Virgin Galactic a întârziat mai mulţi ani, în special din cauza unui accident produs în 2014, soldat cu moartea unui pilot.
În cadrul zborului de joi, mai multe experimente urmează să fie efectuate la bord (despre comportamentul lichidelor în imponderabilitate, reacţia corporală a pasagerilor şi altele).
“Misiunile de cercetare ale Virgin Galactic vor introduce o nouă eră de acces repetat şi fiabil la spaţiu pentru instituţii guvernamentale şi de cercetare”, a declarat directorul general al companiei, Michael Colglazier.
După a doua misiune (Galactic 02), în august, Virgin Galactic promite zboruri spaţiale în fiecare lună.
Compania concurează cu Blue Origin a miliardarului Jeff Bezos, care oferă de asemenea zboruri suborbitale scurte şi a trimis deja 32 de persoane în spaţiu.
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