Virgil (spacecraft): Difference between revisions
CharlieCon (talk | contribs) No edit summary |
Archer4real (talk | contribs) No edit summary Tag: 2017 source edit |
||
| Line 8: | Line 8: | ||
==Capabilities== | ==Capabilities== | ||
It was a two-stage reusable vehicle with medium lift. When launched, the lift stage could | It was a two-stage reusable vehicle with medium lift. When launched, the lift stage could separate from the main craft and independently land vertically, whilst the three-man probe itself was able to re-enter the atmosphere after lift-off and be landed like any conventional aircraft. | ||
The second-stage engine contained fuel pipes and a coolant system. | The second-stage engine contained fuel pipes and a coolant system. | ||
Latest revision as of 10:34, 16 April 2021
The Virgil was a spacecraft developed by the Space Defence Centre, as a successor to the ill-fated XK-5 space freighter. In 2020, it was the most sophisticated and successful British spacecraft ever built.
Capabilities[[edit] | [edit source]]
It was a two-stage reusable vehicle with medium lift. When launched, the lift stage could separate from the main craft and independently land vertically, whilst the three-man probe itself was able to re-enter the atmosphere after lift-off and be landed like any conventional aircraft.
The second-stage engine contained fuel pipes and a coolant system.
Appearance[[edit] | [edit source]]
Before it was launched into the Earth's atmosphere, the prope sat on top of the first-stage booster. The outer hull of the metal probe consisted of large metal plates that could be removed to access the second-stage engine, which had highly polished metal thrusters. The entire ship was 100 feet tall, with the control cabin being right at the top, just underneath the nose-cone.
