Abafuna imincili kwixa elizayo baya kukhwela isiphekepheke esimyoli esibekwe phantsi kobunina obukhulu, obuphindwe kabini ukuya kumda wesithuba kuyilo olutyhilwe ngoLwesithathu nguVirgin Galactic.
Isiphekepheke seSpaceShipTwo kunye nesithwali saso se-WhiteKnightTwo siza kuqalisa iimvavanyo zokuqala kweli hlotyeni ukuze kushukume inkqubo yenoveli yesiphekepheke sasemkhathini eyilwe nguvulindlela we-aerospace uBurt Rutan kunye nenkampani yakhe iScaled Composites.
“Owama-2008 ngokwenene iya kuba ngunyaka wesiphekepheke,” watsho usomashishini waseBritani uMhlekazi uRichard Branson, umseki weQela Elinyulu, owatyhila imodeli yomlinganiselo we-1/16 wesiphekepheke esitsha apha kwiAmerican Museum of Natural History. Sinemincili ngokwenene ngenkqubo yethu entsha kunye noko inkqubo yethu entsha iya kukwazi ukuyenza.”
Ngokusekwe kwi-SpaceShipOne ka-Rutan, isiphekepheke esilingwayo nesisebenzisekayo esaphumelela ibhaso le-Ansari X lesigidi seedola le-suborbital spaceflight ngo-10, i-SpaceShipTwo sisithuthi esaziswa ngomoya esilungiselelwe ukuthwala abakhweli abathandathu kunye nabaqhubi ababini ukuya kwindawo engaphantsi kwe-suborbital nasemva.
Kodwa ngokungafaniyo ne-SpaceShipOne, eyasungulwa ngaphantsi kwekhabhinethi enye ye-WhiteKnight ethwala, i-craft entsha iya kuhla ukusuka kwi-twin-cabin high-altitude jet enokuthi iphindwe kabini njenge-craft yokuqeqesha abakhenkethi. I-WhiteKnightTwo ithwala ii-injini ezine kunye namaphiko amalunga neemitha ezingama-140 (iimitha ezingama-42), ikhuphisana nebhombu ye-B-29, kwaye yakhelwe ukuphatha iirokethi ezingenabantu ezikwaziyo ukuphehlelela iisathelayithi ezincinci kwi-orbit, amagosa aseVirgin Galactic athi.
I-Virgin Galactic inikezela ngamatikiti kwi-SpaceShipTwo spaceliners ngexabiso lokuqala malunga ne-200,000 yeedola, nangona u-Branson uthe iindleko kulindeleke ukuba zehle emva kweminyaka emihlanu yokuqala yokusebenza. Ifemu yokhenketho esemajukujukwini iceba ukuphehlelela iinqwelomoya eziphuma kwisikhululo seNew Mexico's Spaceport America, kunye nohambo olongezelelekileyo nge-aurora borealis oluza kwenziwa lusuka eKiruna, eSweden.
“Kumnandi kakhulu,” utshilo umphathi wentengiso waseBhritane uTrevor Beattie, omnye wabali-100 abanamatikiti e-Virgin Galactic okhoyo xa kutyhilwa. “Ndifuna ukuhamba ngoku…ngenyathelo ngalinye elibalulekileyo, liya lisondela ngakumbi.”
Ukuza kuthi ga ngoku, i-Virgin Galactic inabagibeli abaqinisekisiweyo be-200 kwiindiza ezizayo, i-$ 30 yezigidi kwiidiphozithi kunye nokubhaliswa kwe-85,000 kubathengi abanomdla wokubhabha kwi-SpaceShipTwo.
U-Rutan, ogama lakhe i-Mojave, i-Calif.-based Scaled igqibile i-60 yepesenti ye-SpaceShipTwo yokuqala, yathi i-firm yakhe yakha ubuncinane iimoto ezihlanu ze-suborbital - kunye nabathwali ababini be-WhiteKnightTwo - kwi-Virgin Galactic.
"Le ayisiyonkqubo encinci nangayiphi na indlela yokucinga," utshilo uRutan, esongeza ukuba inkampani yakhe inethemba lokwakha ubuncinci i-40 SpaceShipTwos kunye ne-15 ye-carrier carrier kule minyaka ili-12 izayo.
Isiphekepheke ngasinye siyilelwe ukuba sibhabhe kabini ngemini, kunye nabathwali babo be-WhiteKnightTwo abanakho ukuya kuthi ga kwezine zemihla ngemihla, utshilo uRutan. Ngaphezu kweminyaka eli-12, abantu abangaphezu kwe-100,000 banokubhabha besiya kwindawo engaphantsi kweemoto, wongeze watsho.
Inqwelomoya enamagumbi
Abakhweli be-Virgin Galactic abanjengoBeattie kunye nabanye sele beye kuvavanyo lwe-centrifuge ukuze bafumane isampulu yokuqaliswa kwamava kunye nokungena kwakhona, okunokuthi kusebenzise amandla ukuya kuthi ga kathandathu umxhuzulane woMhlaba kumzimba womntu.
UWill Whitehorn, i-CEO ye-Virgin Galactic, uthe umkhweli ngamnye we-SpaceShipAbabini baya kuxhotyiswa ngesuti yoxinzelelo njengenyathelo lokhuseleko, bakhululeke ukuhamba malunga nekhabhathi enamagumbi alingana nenqwelomoya ye-Gulfstream kunye noontanga kuMhlaba ngokubanzi, i-18-intshi (46- cm) iifestile ngexesha lemizuzu emininzi yokungabi nabunzima okubonelelwayo kwisiphekepheke ngasinye.
“Kuba ngokucacileyo, ukuba uza kungena emajukujukwini, uya kufuna ukubona umbono,” utshilo uWhitehorn.
Ikhabhinethi yeSpaceShipTwo inkulu kakhulu kunekhepsule yabantu abathathu esetyenziswe kwi-SpaceShipOne, kwaye nganye kwiikhabhinethi ezimbini ze-WhiteKnightTwo ezithwala izinto zezandla ziyafana naleyo yesiphekepheke ukusenza isixhobo soqeqesho esiluncedo, utshilo.
Amalungu osapho lwabakhweli okanye abanye abakhenkethi basemajukujukwini banokubukela i-SpaceShipTwo isungulwa ngaphakathi kwikhabhathi ye-WhiteKnightTwo, nganye kuzo ihleli nje iimitha ezingama-25 (7.6) ukusuka kwisiphekepheke esinyuswe embindini.
Ngelixa umjikelo wokuqala wovavanyo ucwangciselwe ixesha elithile kweli hlobo kunye neenqwelomoya zokuqala ezixhonywe ngo-2009, uWhitehorn ugxininise ukuba ukhuseleko lubalulekile.
“Sikugqatso olungenamntu, ngaphandle kogqatso olukhuselekileyo,” utshilo uWhitehorn.
U-Rutan uthe ujolise kwinto yokhuseleko efana naleyo yeenqwelo-moya zangaphambili zeminyaka yee-1920, ekumele ukuba zibengcono ngokuphindwe ka-100 kunokhuseleko lweziphekepheke zanamhlanje ezisetyenziswa ngoorhulumente abakhulu namhlanje.
“Musa ukukholelwa nabani na okuxelela ukuba umgangatho wokhuseleko wesiphekepheke esitsha ukhuselekile njengenqwelo-moya yale mihla,” utshilo uRutan.
Isicwangciso sophuhliso kunye nokuvavanya i-SpaceShipTwo kunye ne-craft carrier craft iye yancitshiswa ngokuqhuma okubulalayo ngengozi okwabulala abasebenzi abathathu be-Scaled ngoJulayi odlulileyo kwi-Mojave Air kunye ne-Space Port. Kwiveki ephelileyo, abahloli belizwe laseCalifornia kunye nabahloli bezokhuseleko bacaphule iScaled ngokusilela ukubonelela ngoqeqesho olwaneleyo kubasebenzi kwaye bahlawulisa le nkampani ngaphezulu kweedola ezingama-25,000.
URutan uthe inkampani yakhe ibisebenza nabahloli baseburhulumenteni kunye namagosa ukuqinisa ukhuseleko lwabasebenzi, kodwa eyona nto ibangela uqhushumbo ngexesha lovavanyo lokuhamba kwe-rocket oxidizer yayingekaziwa. I-injini ye-rocket ye-SpaceShipTwo ayiyi kugqitywa de kube ngumthombo wokuqhuma ugxininiswe phantsi, watsho.
U-Patricia Grace Smith, umlawuli odibeneyo we-FAA kuthutho lwendawo yorhwebo, uncome ukuzinikela kwe-Virgin Galactic kunye ne-Scaled kukhuseleko emva kokutyhilwa kwe-SpaceShipTwo.
“Ngumoya woshishino ozakusa phambili eli lizwe,” utshilo uSmith. "Oku kuya kubamba njengomlilo wasendle esingazange sawubona."
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