Tubular Bells
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wrote on 30 Jun 2021, 13:36 last edited by George K
Virgin Orbit plans to launch 3 satellites this morning. Their model of getting things into orbit is to use a 747, with the rocket strapped to a wing, eliminating the need for a BFR to get into the upper atmosphere.
Watch live now:
Link to video -
wrote on 30 Jun 2021, 13:57 last edited by
I guess Branson's got a bunch of 747's nobody's using - still, pretty cool.
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wrote on 30 Jun 2021, 14:02 last edited by
You'd think they'd have some kind of a chase plane following along, rather than displaying data from (I assume) Flight Aware or some other such tracking site.
C'mon Branson, do better, LOL.
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wrote on 30 Jun 2021, 14:18 last edited by
Why "Tubular Bells"?
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wrote on 30 Jun 2021, 14:42 last edited by
@horace said in Tubular Bells:
Why "Tubular Bells"?
Nevermind. I was familiar with the album, but didn't know of the connection to Virgin records.
Tubular Bells is the debut studio album by English multi-instrumentalist, composer, and songwriter Mike Oldfield, released on 25 May 1973 as the first album on Virgin Records. Oldfield, who was 19 years old when it was recorded, played almost all the instruments on the mostly instrumental album.
The album initially sold slowly, but gained worldwide attention in December 1973 when its opening theme was used for the soundtrack to the horror film The Exorcist (1973). This led to a surge in sales which increased Oldfield's profile and played an important part in the growth of the Virgin Group.
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You'd think they'd have some kind of a chase plane following along, rather than displaying data from (I assume) Flight Aware or some other such tracking site.
C'mon Branson, do better, LOL.
wrote on 30 Jun 2021, 16:27 last edited by@george-k said in Tubular Bells:
You'd think they'd have some kind of a chase plane following
At approx. 1:36:00 the announcer says "the chase has taken off"
We looked at a similar rocket, the Orbital Pegasus, at Udvar-Hazy Air and Space museum
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wrote on 30 Jun 2021, 22:50 last edited by George K
SpaceX: Hold my fucking beer.
Link to video
Just FF to about 22:35.
"On board this launch are 85 commercial and government spacecraft (including CubeSats, microsats, and orbital transfer vehicles) and 3 Starlink satellites. While there are fewer spacecraft on board compared to Transporter-1, this mission is actually launching more mass to orbit for SpaceX’s customers."
This is the 8th, EIGTH, mission for the first stage booster.