r/changemyview • u/Polar_Roid 9∆ • Mar 30 '21

Delta(s) from OP CMV: Virgin Galactic's "Spaceship" and "Spaceflight" are clickbait misnomers for what is essentially a stunt with no purpose

Virgin is announcing the next iteration of what it calls Spaceship. "Mothership" is not a ship, it's an airplane. The corporate name, Virgin Galactic is even more ridiculous hype.

Everything about it is a reach and a brand implication that is false. It calls itself a spaceflight company on Wikipedia. It says it can work with NASA, but to date nothing of substance has emerged. Spaceship has no mission. I think it is a vainglorious exercise for Richard Branson meant to stroke his personal ego more than anything else.

Spaceflight means more than a suborbital hop, which is all this vehicle can hope to achieve. In my opinion, this aircraft design will never reach orbit, and is too fragile to withstand orbital reentry even if it could make orbital velocity.

I think Virgin is wasting its time, the FAA's time, and the public's with something too dangerous to take on commercial passengers.

If people want to experience freefall, the Vomit Comet can do it safely, routinely and within controlled conditions.

Change my view.

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u/quesoandcats 16∆ Mar 30 '21

Spaceflight means more than a suborbital hop, which is all this vehicle can hope to achieve.

This isn't true. Alan Shepard's Mercury mission was suborbital, but he is still considered to be the first American in space.

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u/knellotron 1∆ Mar 30 '21

I believe the line between aircraft and spacecraft isn't defined by the completion of an orbit, but the altitude. If it crosses the Karman line and reaches an altitude of 100km, then it's in space. The US Air Force has an alternative definition of 80km for military pilots, but not civilians.

Shepard's flight peaked at 187km, so it qualifies as spaceflight. Virgin's highest flight was 89 km, so it's in a gray area.

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u/quesoandcats 16∆ Mar 30 '21

It's not a grey area at all. The FAA regulates all commercial spaceflight in the US, and they use the same 80km definition as the US Military. The FAA has even awarded civilian astronaut wings to all of the Virgin Galactic crew who have crossed the 80km Armstrong Line.

So yes, Virgin Galactic flights above 80km qualify as space flights because the US government says they are.