This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/nov/12/virgin-galactic-pilot-peter-siebold-spacecraft

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Virgin Galactic pilot tells of being thrown clear as spacecraft broke up Virgin Galactic pilot tells of being thrown clear as spacecraft broke up
(about 2 hours later)
The pilot who survived last month’s Virgin Galactic disaster has told investigators how he was thrown clear of the spacecraft as it broke up. The pilot who survived last month’s Virgin Galactic disaster has told investigators how he was thrown from the disintegrating SpaceShipTwo still strapped in to his seat, nine miles above the ground and travelling at more than 600mph, according to a report released on Wednesday by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Peter Siebold, 43, was unaware that the feathering system that controls descent had been unlocked early by co-pilot Michael Alsbury, who was killed in the crash in the Mojave desert in California on 31 October, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said. Peter Siebold, 43, was unaware that the feathering system that controls descent had been unlocked early by co-pilot Michael Alsbury, who was killed in the crash in the Mojave desert in California on 31 October, the NTSB said.
Giving an update of its investigation on Wednesday, the NTSB said the on-scene part of its investigation had finished and that the wreckage of the spacecraft had been recovered and was being stored in a secure location for follow-on examination. At the time of the disaster the craft had its rocket engine engaged and had just accelerated past the speed of sound. It was about nine miles above the surface of the earth – nearly twice as high as the peak of Mount Everest. At this altitude the atmosphere is so thin as to be unbreathable, and the temperature around -50C.
The NTSB went on: “The NTSB operations and human performance investigators interviewed the surviving pilot on Friday. According to the pilot, he was unaware that the feather system had been unlocked early by the co-pilot. Siebold, who was discharged from hospital on Monday, told investigators that he unbuckled himself from his seat at some point during his fall, after which his parachute deployed automatically.
“His description of the vehicle motion was consistent with other data sources in the investigation. He stated that he was extracted from the vehicle as a result of the break-up sequence and unbuckled from his seat at some point before the parachute deployed automatically.” SpaceShipTwo’s destruction came just 27 seconds after it was released from its carrier aircraft.
The NTSB said its investigation was continuing. Siebold, a father of two, was seriously injured in the crash. When the craft hit Mach 1.02, 10 seconds after its engines were ignited, the ship’s “feather” system – which is designed to stabilise the craft during re-entry – was unlocked, and almost immediately began to deploy. It was at this moment that the craft began to tear itself apart.
Hundreds of people had signed up for the Virgin Galactic experience to take tourists into space. Parts of the destroyed ship were found spread across more than 35 miles of the Mojave desert.
Virgin Galactic is building a replacement spaceship and says test flights could resume as early as next summer. Speaking to investigators from the NTSB on 7 November, Siebold said he was unaware that his co-pilot had prematurely unlocked the “feather” system, which is supposed to be unlocked only once the ship reaches Mach 1.4.
The NTSB said that on-board video showed the co-pilot, Alsbury, unlocking the mechanism just after reached Mach 1. They said that a second lever to deploy the mechanism was not pulled, but that that the force of the air at that speed and altitude might have caused it to deploy.
The NTSB’s acting chairman Christopher Hart suggested this was what caused the ship to tear itself apart, though the investigation could take a year or more to complete.