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The head of the agency examining the fatal crash of a Virgin Galactic passenger spaceship during a test flight in California's Mojave Desert said the vehicle appeared to have broken apart in flight.
"The debris field indicates an in-flight breakup," acting chairman of the United States National Transportation Safety Board Christopher Hart said.
"We'll know that for certainty when we look at all the sources we have," he said.
The safety board is leading the investigation into Friday's crash of SpaceShipTwo, which was undergoing its first powered test flight since January when it crashed, spreading debris over an eight-kilometre swath of the Mojave Desert.
One pilot was killed and another badly injured.
About 15 investigators are combing through the wreckage and corralling data connected to the explosion. They will be gathering evidence in the barrens surrounding the Mojave Air and Space Port for nearly a week, said Mr Hart. It will be the first time the safety board has led an investigation of a space launch with people on board.
Engineers began carefully scouting for clues in the high-speed photos taken of the explosion. Experts said it appeared to break apart a few seconds after detaching from the belly of the WhiteKnightTwo, while pushing for a vertical ascent near supersonic speeds.
"If you look at the debris on the ground, you can clearly see that the nitrous tank is intact and the motor case is there," said Tim Pickens, an engineer who worked on rockets for SpaceshipOne and Virgin Galactic. "That could not possibly be the case if the rocket itself was to blame."
Hart said a preliminary assessment showed that the spacecraft's engine landed intact.
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Virgin Galactic's owner, British billionaire and entrepreneur Richard Branson, travelled to Mojave on Saturday to meet with his team and safety board investigators. He said he was determined to uncover the cause of the crash and said he believed the dream of space tourism for everyday passengers would live on.
Meanwhile, Virgin Galactic's chief executive, George Whitesides, said the company could have a new spacecraft ready to fly by next year.
"The second spaceship is getting close to readiness," he said, even as the safety board began what it is likely to be a year-long investigation into the accident.
SpaceShipTwo was in the midst of test flights and was not yet certified for commercial operations when the crash occurred, delaying indefinitely the start of passenger service.
Investigators say the powered test flight of Virgin's SpaceShipTwo on Friday was well recorded, giving them an abundance of information to help determine what caused the rupture.
Every move of the flight was recorded by a battery of cameras, including six mounted on the space plane and three on its carrier plane. Footage could also come from a radar-equipped chase plane that was following the carrier, as well as from a long-range camera at nearby Edwards Air Force Base.
Michael Alsbury, 39, was identified as the pilot who died. Co-pilot Peter Siebold, 43, parachuted to the ground and was recovering at a nearby hospital, their employer, Scaled Composites, said.
That was news just in
Article from www.stuff.co.nz
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