This computer enhanced “spy pic” shows what I think is the cockpit structure of the first SpaceShipTwo (SS2) flight model
While it shares some of the features of the White Knight II (WK2) fuselage, cockpit structure seen in the picture below (taken from this blog entry) there are key differences that suggest it is for SS2 instead
The key differences are visible when comparing the spy picture structure with the officially released pictures of the construction work
If you look at the construction images from Virgin Galactic (ignore this blog entry’s title), because WK2 and SS2’s forward fuselage is broadly the same I guess people thought they would be made the same way but that is not necessarily so
If you look at the construction pictures from that blog entry, the fuselage is made up of two halves, one lower, one upper. It’s clear from the images that there is no join along the z-axis, behind the cockpit windows, that we would see if a structure, such as in the spy picture, was used
But more importantly in the enhanced spy picture we can see some kind of structure on its lower side. As this will be a composite structure and I am aware of composite manufacturing techniques this extension on the lower side is not the composite equivalent of casting’s flash or any other example of excess production process related material. It must be a functional structure
I think what we can see partially connects the low-wing that SS2 has, but WK2 doesn’t, and additional structure related to the nose gear
The second important difference, also visible in the enhanced picture, is another structure that extends outwards, is half way up the cockpit and is aligned with the top of the hole in the centre of the nose. This feature is also not found in the construction images
It may simply be a thin semi-disc that will strengthen the attachment between the cockpit and the nose cone or, and this is very speculative, it could be the basis for a pitot tube system
I say this because if you look at the structure, its far right end that is within the disc of sunlight glare on the front of the cockpit nose, it is not itself illuminated. That suggests it is a point extending out from the nosecone surface, beyond the glare, and that this structure is shaped more like a crescent Moon or hook than a semi-disc
I think it would extend through the nosecone perhaps to be flush with its surface and could mean its a pitot tube related structure – but this is a bit of a wild guess. Even if it extends out as a hook shape it could simply be another part of a strengthened cockpit/nosecone attachment system
What do you all think?
As for commonalities between this apparent SS2 structure and the construction images of what I now think is a WK2 fuselage, they both have a hole at the front and the same windows. The hole is likely to simply be another part of the attachment system for the nosecone
For more Virgin Galactic images go here
