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Virgin Galactic to Launch from Scottish Base?

Posted by Zonk on Tue Jul 04, 2006 08:19 AM
from the scotch-and-liftoff-please dept.
Space Technology
Lancey writes "The BBC reports that Richard Branson wants to launch Virgin Galactic space flights from a Royal Air Force base in Moray, Scotland, as early as 2010." From the article: "We are designing it so that we will be able to tour it around the world. So we will have a main base in New Mexico and we are looking at three bases outside there to be able to operate from."

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  • What about the equator? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by LotsOfPhil (982823) on Tuesday July 04 2006, @08:29AM (#15655821) Homepage
    I thought that it was better to launch things from the equator. Something about angular momentum, maybe? This is (I thought) why the ESA launches from Equatorial Guinea, or some such.

    • Re:What about the equator? (Score:3, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      ESA launches from French Guiana. Actually.

    • Re:What about the equator? (Score:5, Informative)

      by tgd (2822) on Tuesday July 04 2006, @08:40AM (#15655858)
      Thats only if you're going to try to get into orbit easily.

      They're not trying to get into orbit.
      [ Parent ]
    • I thought that it was better to launch things from the equator. Something about angular momentum, maybe?

      If you want to get in, or escape earth orbit, yes.
      But Virgin Galactic only goes to the edge of "space" and then falls right back down.
      • ... and then falls right back down.

        Yes, that sounds about right. It's what I'd expect to happen to a spaceship run by the same company that runs Virgin trains.

    • The equator is useful for launching. But what goes up must come down. You need to land as well as take off. There are rumors that NASA designated Machrihanish airport as an emergency landing site for the Shuttle. Though never used for that purpose to date.

  • so... what is the news about SS2? (and possiblt SS3)
    • The Sony Space Station 2 was a success, but the Sony Space Station 3 will be overly expensive for the hardware and the games.
  • Anyone else feel like Branson's making headway on those dastardly ellipses? A couple of spaceports would sure go a long way for MY world domination schemes...

  • Lead - engineer (Score:4, Funny)

    by thrill12 (711899) on Tuesday July 04 2006, @08:41AM (#15655862)
    ... will probably be Scotty:
    "Aye Cap'n Branson, but she can't take much more !"
  • With 450+ days of rain each year up there, a shuttle could never do that.
    If you add the latitude consideration and the possibility to organize flights for tourists, Spain or Moroco would seem a better idea.

    • Re:I hope their ship is rainproof (Score:1, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward
      What planet are you from that has 450 days per year?

      • Re:I hope their ship is rainproof (Score:1, Funny)

        by Anonymous Coward
        You've never been to Scotland, have you?

      • Re:I hope their ship is rainproof (Score:5, Funny)

        by tehgimpness (984446) on Tuesday July 04 2006, @09:42AM (#15656097)
        What planet are you from that has 450 days per year?

        It's part of an EU directive to ensure effective and fair distribution of rainfall in the europe. Each country has a number of rainfall tokens which are spent on rainfall per annum. Scotland import the rainfall by accepting rainfall tokens from other european countries to ensure that the rainfall exporters have more sunshine throughout the year. Italy and Greece are europes chief exporters. The UK and Poland are nett importers. England and Wales have 279 days of rainfall a year and have accepted 23 'grey skies and light showers' and 9 'fog' days from mainland europe in return for preferential North Sea fishing areas.
        [ Parent ]
        • The truly sad thing is, it takes one a minute or so to digest the above comment and realise it is in fact a joke and not actually true. That's how bad the EU can be. We're talking about the drones that actually put down on the books a statue on how bendy
          • I think it's pretty obviously a joke, doesn't even take a moment to "digest". While there are statutes (statue is probably not the word you were looking for) that describe the maximum curvature (among other attributes) bananas can have and still be sold as
            • Whoops, my bad. My standing as a slashdot grammar Nazi may suffer due to this, but I do avow that the misspelling in question is because my Apple iMac tangerine keyboard is a fair few years old, and whist I have a spiffy new MacBook, with a spiffy new key
        • Your sig is missing the all important "one", as in "ZOMGWTFPWNKKTHNXBIBI!!!!111one!!!"

      • What planet are you from that has 450 days per year?

        You laugh, and justly, but just as a matter of interest, the year 46 BCE had -- well, not quite 450 days -- but ca. 445 days. (It was the year that the Romans transitioned from the chaotic old republic

    • 450 days of rain? In a 365 day year? Jeeze, that's only -85 days of sun a year!
    • I believe that since the SS* series is launched from a carrier aircraft, rain and low-altitude cloud cover will not be an issue, because the carrier vehicle can simply ascend above the cloud deck prior to launching the spacecraft.
    • Being from Scotland, I can assure you that it just feels like 450+ days of rain in a year.

  • Nothing to see... (Score:4, Informative)

    by HaydnH (877214) on Tuesday July 04 2006, @08:49AM (#15655889)
    Nothing to see here... no really! It's a broken link! Here's a working link to the article. [bbc.co.uk]

  • Strange headline (Score:3, Interesting)

    by biglig2 (89374) on Tuesday July 04 2006, @09:11AM (#15655961) Homepage Journal
    The interesting thing is that he intends to launch in 2010, not so much that he's going to run it out of Scotland. I mean, he was likely to have at least one launch point in the UK if it was technically feasable, and it was never likely to be Heathrow. ;-)

  • Never (Score:1, Funny)

    by JustOK (667959)
    Never underestimate the repulsive power of the Scottish and their hagis.

  • Lossiemouth is the perfect location! (Score:4, Informative)

    by dnnrly (120163) on Tuesday July 04 2006, @09:34AM (#15656069)
    I've been to good ol' Lossie. I think it's perfect! Takeoffs would occur over the bay which opens up to the North Sea. Lossiemouth itself isn't hugely populated but it does lie next door to the base. There is a housing estate right up to the fence on one side (with the local pub about 1 mile from the main entrance), all other sides are clear and the nearest large town is Elgin about 10 miles away.

    As long as they are careful to take off and land over the water I can't see many problems at all.

  • But... (Score:2, Funny)

    by Clazzy (958719)
    Think of the poor haggis! The shock of a rocket launching could tip them over and they'll roll down the hills, killing thousands! This injustice cannot be allowed to happen!
    • Och! Ya greit ejit, a fully grown haggis is not much larger then a rugby ball, and wouldn't kill anyone as it rolled down a hill.

      • Re:But... (Score:1)

        by Clazzy (958719)
        But thousands of haggis hunters will wait in glee as they roll down, making them easy prey. They could wipe the haggis population out entirely!

  • Deja vu (Score:1, Informative)

    by suthers (986772)
    That's funny. I'm sure I remember writing http://skymania.blogspot.com/2006/06/hoots-mon-we- have-problem.html [blogspot.com]this story way back on June 9.
  • Or did. Nearly. Actually, I grew up in Buckie, which on a clear day, you can see Lossiemouth over the other end of the Spey Bay.
    • I grew up in Buckie, which on a clear day, you can see Lossiemouth
      First you have 450+ days of rain in a year and now you tell me you have time for clear days, too?
    • From the article:

      "It has relatively little overflying by aircraft, there are not people on the ground who could get injured and RAF Lossiemouth is an ideal location."
      Maybe Manston has too many people on the ground or too much air traffic around it?
  • Anyone seen Superman Returns? Sir Richard Branson has a cameo as one of the shuttle pilots. I almost didn't recognize him as the shots were brief, but my suspicions were confirmed by the credits.
  • I think Richard Branson is an inspiration to all. But, and you knew there was a 'but', this venture is taking a very long time. Some of you may think 8 years is a reasonable amount of time to go from winning the X-Prize to offering rides to paying custom
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