Quote:
Originally Posted by island911
Now we are being told that the pilot (error) pulled the feather release a couple seconds early, causing the craft to disintegrate. (scratching head - A supposed M4 spaceship of super-stability disintegrates at ~M1)
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I didn't know that the story had changed that radically.
Those that witnessed it said that the craft dropped from the support vehicle the way it was designed to and when it had fallen far enough below it, the engine fired off for very few seconds (not the pre-planned length of time required to take it to the prescribed altitude), then stopped prematurely.
Then it fired up again and promptly exploded. I'm not sure when the feathering occurred, but the way I heard it, it wasn't that the copilot feathered it "a couple seconds early" it was that the engine malfunctioned.
Maybe the malfunction procedure is to feather it at some point to bring it back once some kind of shutdown procedure is concluded.
I don't know if there is any "help" in these videos...
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/836586-virgin-galactic-spaceship-crashes-4.html#post8337560