Virgin Galactic's Spaceship Two disintegrated a few days ago, killing one of the co-pilots. Michael Tyner Alsbury was killed in the disintegration above California. Founder Richard Branson talked about his bravery and sacrifice so that they will "persevere" and "succeed". The investigation into the accident may take more than a year, and Branson warns against jumping to conclusions, such as the fact that Virgin Galactic had been using a new type of plastic-based fuel in the craft. Feathering, when the aircraft breaks into 2 parts in order to safely reach the ground, prematurely is the leading suspect right now, but the investigators do not know why it happened, and whose fault it is. Though they lost a veteran pilot, Virgin Galactic is still proceeding with their plans to make commercial space travel a possibility, and will work through all incidents like this.
This reminds me of the new age of technology brought to the forefront during the Antebellum Age in America, with such devices as the Cotton Gin, the McCormick Reaper, and the Spinning Ginny. This is a time of great technological leaps, and, similar again to the Antebellum Age, there are a few kinks that need to worked out, and a few safety precautions which must be implemented, like with the factory system, which also put many people's lives in danger.
Source: http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/03/us/spaceshiptwo-incident/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
With all innovations and inventions, there is a certain amount of danger and potential for failure that need to be accounted for. But we cannot let fear become a reason to stop growing; we have to keep moving forward in the face of adversity.
ReplyDeleteThis is tragic and I hope they move forward and increase safety measures to these crafts.
ReplyDeleteI hope scientists and inventors take this opportunity to improve safety on these crafts and continue to move forward in this field. Space is truly the final frontier that we have to explore.
ReplyDeleteAgreed with the previous comments. It's a tragic thing to happen, and not very surprised that it happened with something so new. Hopefully they will work to find a solution and further the studies.
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