Virgin Galactic Lose Spaceship Two, Fate of Pilots Unknown

[NickFitz]

Breaking on Twitter:

During the test, the vehicle suffered a serious anomaly resulting in the loss of SpaceShipTwo. WK2 landed safely. (2 of 4)

https://twitter.com/virgingalactic/s...54804888682498

Our first concern is the status of the pilots, which is unknown at this time. (3 of 4)

https://twitter.com/virgingalactic/s...54862166081536

[greenlake]

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Has Crashed

Virgin Galactic is reporting that there has been an "in-flight anomaly" aboard SpaceShip Two. There are unconfirmed reports that one of the two pilots is dead. The suborbital flight took off at 9:19am PDT from the Mojave Air and Spaceport in California. [Update: Virgin Galactic has confirmed that SpaceshipTwo has crashed but the status of the two pilots is still unknown.]

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Has Crashed, Possible Casualties
https://twitter.com/virgingalactic/s...33343599394817

[NickFitz]

Great minds think alike…

[NotAllThere]

The threads of two great minds woven together.

[NickFitz]

The threads of two great minds woven together.

greenlake got the InterCapitalisationAndRunningTogetherOfWords in "SpaceShipTwo" correct.

[greenlake]

A California Highway Patrol officer has confirmed one death.

[greenlake]

Second pilot alive but critically injured.

[greenlake]

Eyewitness accounts say SpaceShipTwo engine fired as planned when released from WhiteKnightTwo, but cut out shortly afterwards. The engine then restarted, at which point SpaceShipTwo blew up.

One pilot escaped and parachuted out. The other one didn't.

[NickFitz]

A California Highway Patrol officer has confirmed one death.

Also reported by a flight observer: SPACESHIPTWO EXPLODES, CRASHES; 1 DEAD, 1 SERIOUSLY INJURED at Parabolic Arc

Saw on of crash sites. Body still in seat.

- https://twitter.com/spacecom/status/528251513152765952

[minestrone]

Sadly this thing always had the whiff of disaster surrounding it.