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Articles on SpaceShipTwo

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Not yet, but soon … we’re getting closer to sending people to Mars. Samantha T./Flickr

Near Earth and far away, it’s been an exciting year in space

It was an exciting year in space exploration, with mind-blowing triumphs and heart-breaking failures. On Earth, new rockets and spacecraft were tested by space agencies and commercial ventures. SpaceX…
Not thrilling enough for some. EPA/Virgin Galactic

What next for space tourism after SpaceShipTwo?

The recent accident involving Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo – and the tragic death of one pilot and critical injury of another – highlights the dangers inherent in any type of space flight. It has also…
National Transportation Safety Board inspectors with a tail section of SpaceShipTwo. National Transportation Safety Board/Wikimedia Commons

Five space travel accidents that shaped the modern era

Last week was a particularly grim one for private space flights. Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo crashed in the Mojave Desert, about 150km north of Los Angeles, killing a pilot, Michael Alsbury, and seriously…
A co-pilot on Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo (seen here in 2010) died after the spacecraft crashed in the Mojave desert. EPA/Mark Greenberg/Virgin Galactic

SpaceShipTwo cost a life, so why do we still use human test pilots?

Tragically, the experimental spaceplane SpaceShipTwo crashed in the Mojave desert during a test flight on Friday, killing one pilot and injuring another. It is not clear what went wrong, and the coming…

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