Abafuna injabulo yesikhathi esizayo bazogibela umkhumbi-mkhathi obushelelezi ofakwe ngaphansi kobunina obukhulu, obunamawele obuya emaphethelweni esikhala kumklamo owethulwe ngoLwesithathu yiVirgin Galactic.
Umkhumbi-mkhathi we-SpaceShipTwo kanye nomuntu ophethe i-WhiteKnightTwo bazoqala ukuhlolwa kokuqala kuleli hlobo ukuze banciphise uhlelo lwasemkhathini lwenoveli olwenzelwe iphayona lomkhumbi-mkhathi uBurt Rutan kanye nenkampani yakhe iScaled Composites.
“U-2008 ngempela kuzoba unyaka womkhumbi-mkhathi,” kusho usomabhizinisi waseBrithani uSir Richard Branson, umsunguli weVirgin Group, owethule imodeli yesikali sika-1/16 senqwaba yomkhathi omusha lapha e-American Museum of Natural History. "Sijabule ngempela ngohlelo lwethu olusha nokuthi yini uhlelo lwethu olusha oluzokwazi ukuyenza."
Ngokuya nge-SpaceShipOne kaRutan, umkhumbi-mkhathi ovivinywayo futhi ongasetshenziswa kabusha owawina umklomelo wama- $ 10 wezigidi we-Ansari X Prize wendiza engaphansi komkhumbi ngo-2004, iSpaceShipTwo iyimoto ethulwa ngomoya eyenzelwe ukuthwala abagibeli abayisithupha nabashayeli bezindiza ababili bayise esikhaleni se-suborbital nasemuva.
Kepha ngokungafani ne-SpaceShipOne, eyethulwe ngaphansi kwekhabethe layo elilodwa i-WhiteKnight carrier, lo mkhumbi omusha uzokwehla usuka endizeni ephakeme kabili engaba kabili njengomkhumbi wokuqeqesha izivakashi. IWhiteKnightTwo ithwala izinjini ezine namaphiko angamamitha angu-140 ubude, iphikisana nebhomu iB-42, futhi yakhelwe ukuphatha amarokhethi angenamuntu okwazi ukwethula iziphuphutheki ezincane emzileni, kusho izikhulu zaseVirgin Galactic.
IVirgin Galactic inikela ngamathikithi angena esikhaleni seSpaceShipTwo ngentengo yokuqala engaba ngama- $ 200,000, yize uBranson ethe izindleko kulindeleke ukuthi zehle ngemuva kweminyaka emihlanu yokusebenza. Inkampani yezokuvakasha yasemkhathini ihlela ukuthi ekugcineni iqale izindiza eziphuma esikhumulweni sezindiza eSpaceport America yaseNew Mexico, ngohambo olungeziwe lokudabula ama-aurora borealis azobekwa eKiruna, eSweden.
“Kuhle kakhulu,” kusho isikhulu sezokukhangisa saseBrithani uTrevor Beattie, ongomunye wabanikazi bamathikithi eVirgin Galactic abangaba yikhulu abazokwethula lolu hlelo. "Ngifuna ukuhamba manje… ngengqophamlando ngayinye, iya isondela futhi isondela."
Kuze kube manje, iVirgin Galactic inabagibeli abaqinisekisiwe abangaba ngu-200 bezindiza ezizayo, ama-dollar ayizigidi ezingama- $ 30 kanye nokubhaliswa okungaba ngu-85,000 okuvela kumakhasimende anentshisekelo yokundiza ngaphakathi kwi-SpaceShipTwo.
URutan, ozinze eMojave, eCalif.usuqedile amaphesenti angama-60 e-SpaceShipTwo yokuqala, uthe inkampani yakhe yakha okungenani izimoto ezinhlanu ezingekho emthethweni - kanye nezithwali ezimbili zeWhiteKnightTwo - zeVirgin Galactic.
"Lolu akulona uhlelo oluncane," kusho uRutan, engeza ngokuthi unethemba lokuthi uzokwakha okungenani ama-SpaceShipTwos angama-40 nezinkampani ezithwala abantu kule minyaka engu-15 ezayo.
Umkhumbi-mkhathi ngamunye wenzelwe ukundiza kabili ngosuku, nezithwali zabo zeWhiteKnightTwo ezikwazi ukwethula kuze kube kane ngosuku, kusho uRutan. Eminyakeni engaphezu kwengu-12, abantu abangaphezu kuka-100,000 XNUMX bangandizela esikhaleni esincanyana semoto kulezi zimoto, engeza.
Indiza ebanzi
Abagibeli beVirgin Galactic abanjengoBeattie nabanye sebevele benziwa izivivinyo ze-centrifuge ukusampula ukwethulwa kwesipiliyoni nokubuyiselwa, okungenza amandla afinyelela kasikhombisa amandla adonsela phansi omzimba womuntu.
UWillhornhorn, oyisikhulu esiphezulu seVirgin Galactic, uthe umgibeli ngamunye we-SpaceShipTwo uzofakelwa isudi yengcindezi njengokuqapha ukuphepha, akhululeke ukuhamba ngendlwana enamakamelo alingana nezindiza zaseGulfstream kanye nontanga eMhlabeni ububanzi, 18-intshi (46- cm) ngamawindi phakathi nemizuzu eminingana yokusindwa okunikezwe kusibhakabhaka ngasinye.
"Ngoba ngokusobala, uma uzongena emkhathini, uzofuna ukubona umbono," kusho uWhitehorn.
Ikhabhathi leSpaceShipTwo likhulu kakhulu kunekhomphyutha labantu abathathu elisetshenziswe ku-SpaceShipOne, kanti ngayinye yamakamelo amabili e-WhiteKnightTwo athwala imishini ayefana naleyo yomkhumbi-mkhathi ukuyenza ithuluzi lokuqeqesha eliwusizo, kusho yena.
Amalungu omndeni wabagibeli noma ezinye izivakashi zasemkhathini angabuka ukwethulwa kwe-SpaceShipTwo ngaphakathi kwekhabhathi le-WhiteKnightTwo, ngalinye lihlala amamitha ayi-25 (7.6) amamitha ukusuka esikhumulweni semikhumbi-mkhathi esifakwe phakathi nendawo.
Ngenkathi umjikelezo wokuqala wezivivinyo uhlelelwe isikhathi esithile kuleli hlobo kanti izindiza zasemkhathini zokuqala ezabanjwa ngo-2009, uWhitehorn wagcizelela ukuthi ukuphepha kubaluleke kakhulu.
"Sisemncintiswaneni ongenamuntu, ngaphandle komjaho ophephile," kusho uWhitehorn.
URutan uthe ukhomba into yokuphepha efana naleyo yezindiza ezindala zango-1920, okufanele ngabe zingcono ngokuphindwe ka-100 kunokuphepha komkhumbi-mkhathi wanamuhla osetshenziswa ohulumeni abakhulu namuhla.
"Ungakholelwa noma ngubani okutshela ukuthi izinga lokuphepha lomkhumbi-mkhathi omusha liphephe njengendiza yanamuhla," kusho uRutan.
Uhlelo lokuthuthukisa nokuhlola i-SpaceShipTwo kanye nezinkampani oluthwala kuzo luye lwancishiswa ukuqhuma ngengozi okwabulala abasebenzi abathathu bakwa-Scaled ngoJulayi odlule e-Mojave Air and Space Port. Ngesonto eledlule, abahloli bokusebenza nokuphepha kombuso waseCalifornia babalule abakwaScaled ngokwehluleka ukunikeza ukuqeqeshwa okwanele kwabasebenzi futhi bahlawulisa inkampani ngaphezulu kwama- $ 25,000.
URutan uthe inkampani yakhe ibisebenza nabahloli bezwe nezikhulu ukwenza ngcono ukuphepha kwabasebenzi, kodwa imbangela yangempela yokuqhuma ngesikhathi sokuhlolwa kwe-rocket oxidizer flow ibingakaziwa. Injini ye-rockShipShipTwo ngeke iphothulwe kuze kuphothulwe umthombo wokuqhuma, kusho yena.
UPatricia Grace Smith, obambisene nomphathi we-FAA kwezokuthuthwa kwezikhala zokuhweba, ubabaze ukuzibophezela kweVirgin Galactic kanye ne-Scaled kwezokuphepha ngemuva kokudalulwa kweSpaceShipTwo.
"Ngumoya wezamabhizinisi ozoyisa leli lizwe phambili," kusho uSmith. "Lokhu kuzobamba njengomlilo wequbula esingakaze siwubone."
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