Virgin Galactic Crash UPDATE: Investigators have formed a new working group to take a close look at the pilot interface systems on Virgin Galactic Spaceship Two and released a detailed new timeline of the vehicle's tragic accident, according to FOX News.
Spaceship Two crashed on Friday (Oct. 31) during a test flight, killing co-pilot Michael Alsbury and injuring pilot Peter Siebold. A team from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined Sunday that Spaceship Two's re-entry "feathering" system deployed too early, and on Monday. The investigators created a "human performance group" whose work could shed light on why this happened.
The group will "look at issues such as displays, checklist design [and] other issues relating to the interface between the flight crew and the vehicle," NTSB Acting Chairman Christopher Hart said during a news conference Monday night.
Spaceship Two's twin rudders can be rotated up, or "feathered," to increase drag and stability during the vehicle's descent. Pilots command this maneuver by doing two things: moving a lever to the "unlock" position, and then moving a handle to the "feather" position.
Friday's feathering was unusual for two reasons, Hart has said. First, it occurred after just one of the two above actions was performed. And second, the lever was moved to "unlock" too early - when Spaceship Two was traveling at about Mach 1.0 (the speed of sound) rather than the prescribed Mach 1.4.
The NTSB "Go-Team" arrived in the town of Mojave early Saturday morning (Nov. 1) to begin its on-scene investigation, which should last a few more days. But it may take the investigators up to 12 months to complete their analysis after they return to Washington, D.C., Hart said.
Both Alsbury and Siebold worked for Scaled Composites, the Mojave-based firm that built and tests Spaceship Two for Virgin Galactic. Alsbury's co-workers have set up a memorial fund at the crowd funding site gofundme.com to help support Alsbury's wife and two children. As of late Monday night, the effort had raised nearly $80,000.
Spaceship Two is designed to carry passengers up to an altitude of 62 miles (100 kilometers), giving them a few minutes of weightlessness and a view of Earth against the blackness of space. About 700 people have signed up to ride the spaceship; tickets currently sell for $250,000 each.
Spaceship Two remains in the test phase. Friday's mission was the vehicle's fourth rocket-powered test flight and its 55th flight test of any kind.
