Wow, a big plane.
How exciting.
I suppose the fact that the YouTube video of the Stratolaunch Taxi Test has amassed almost half a million views in less than 24 hours must mean it’s worth a look.
Over to The Verge:
Stratolaunch, the world’s biggest airplane, hit a new milestone recently, taxiing down the runway at 46 mph [74kmh]. While that may not sound like much, it’s worth watching the video to see this 500,000-pound beast with twin fuselages and a wingspan of 385 feet [117m] lumbering down the concrete. The chase cars look like Micro Machines next to this thing.
If you don’t know what Micro Machines are, you haven’t lived:
In case you’re wondering why such a large plane is necessary, and who is behind it all, here you go:
Stratolaunch is a private space company helmed by Microscoft co-founder Paul Allen. The goal is to use the airplane as a platform for lifting rockets into the stratosphere before launching them into space. Some see it as a cheaper, more reliable route to low Earth orbit — the sweet spot for many kinds of satellites. Thanks to its massive size, the plane is capable of carrying payloads up to 550,000 pounds.
Sounds like it’s well equipped to take Americans on board.
I’m probably more excited about that jet / helicopter hybrid.
[source:verge]
