Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

NASA + Virgin Galactic cooperation

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • NASA + Virgin Galactic cooperation

    SpaceRef article

    NASA, Virgin Galactic to Explore Future cooperation

    PRESS RELEASE
    Date Released: Wednesday, February 21, 2007
    Source: Ames Research Center

    MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. - NASA officials signed a memorandum of understanding Tuesday with a U.S. company, Virgin Galactic, LLC, to explore the potential for collaborations on the development of space suits, heat shields for spaceships, hybrid rocket motors and hypersonic vehicles capable of traveling five or more times the speed of sound.

    Under the terms of the memorandum, NASA Ames Research Center, located in California's Silicon Valley, and Virgin Galactic LLC, a U.S.-based subsidiary of Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group, will explore possible collaborations in several technical areas employing capabilities and facilities of NASA's Ames Research Center.

    "As we constantly seek to build upon the advances made by explorers who have come before us, we now embark upon an exciting time in space exploration history that realizes the unlimited opportunities presented by a commercial space economy," said Shana Dale, NASA's deputy administrator. "By encouraging such potential collaborations, NASA supports the development of greater commercial collaboration and applications that will serve to strengthen and enhance the future benefits of space exploration for all of mankind."

    Dale is a longtime supporter of commercial space development. As the former staff director of the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, she was instrumental in the passage of the Commercial Space Act of 1998. This legislation encourages commercial space development in a variety of areas, including launch vehicles, the International Space Station and the acquisition of space and Earth science data.

    "This understanding with Virgin Galactic affords NASA an opportunity to work with an emerging company in the commercial human space transportation industry to support the agency's exploration, science and aeronautics mission goals," said S. Pete Worden, director of NASA Ames Research Center. "Our location in California's Silicon Valley provides a dynamic research and development platform for future potential collaborations with other such companies in support of a robust commercial space industry."
    >
    >
    Dr. Mordrid
    ----------------------------
    An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

    I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

  • #2
    UPDATE:

    Flight Global reports NASA/Virgin Galactic exploring hypersonic passenger flights.....

    Article....

    Virgin Galactic and NASA to research hypersonic point to point travel

    By Rob Coppinger

    Virgin Galactic has signed a memorandum of understanding with NASA to carry out feasibility studies into commercial spaceflight systems and hypersonic intercontinental travel with the help of the US space agency's Ames Research Center.

    Virgin Galactic is yet to set a budget for its research but the work will include hybrid rocket motor development and studies of vehicles that fly faster than Mach 5.
    Based in California Ames has 2,300 research personnel, a $600 million annual budget and its facilities include wind tunnels.

    For the next two years Dan Coughlin, a propulsion expert from NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, who has been working with Ames, is to work with Virgin Galactic.
    “This agreement is specifically aimed at future systems beyond our current suborbital programme with The Spaceship Company and Scaled Composites. [We] are really looking forward to exploring opportunities for the future and making hypersonic point to point travel possible,” says Virgin Galactic chief operating officer Alex Tai. The MOU could lead to a space act agreement.

    The MOU is between NASA and a new US registered company, Virgin Galactic LLC. This US Virgin Galactic will be the trading company that operates from New Mexico’s Spaceport America. It will be owned by a US registered holding company called Galactic Ventures.

    Galactic Ventures will also own The Spaceship Company. The Spaceship Company is a joint venture between Scaled Composites and the Virgin Group. Scaled Composites is developing the suborbital SpaceShipTwo for the UK registered Virgin Galactic company.
    Dr. Mordrid
    ----------------------------
    An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.

    I carry a gun because I can't throw a rock 1,250 fps

    Comment

    Working...
    X