Why does Sir Richards Bransons aircraft need a lift to 55000 feet to take off?
I don’t know for sure, but after some quick researching I can come up with a couple reasons. First, although the White Knight (the jet powered carrying aircraft) was designed solely to carry Spaceship One, it still is useful for launching other test aircraft, so it can still be valuable for other missions. Second, remember that Space Ship One was a rocket powered glider. The rocket was designed to burn only for about 87 seconds. Launching from a moving aircraft rather than from a stand still means you don’t have to waste precious energy to overcome the inertia present when accelerating from a complete stop. Also, although 55,000 feet is only a fraction of the altitude required to enter into space, it is still a huge distance. Plus, my guess is that there is a much greater amount of air resistance present in lower altitudes; therefore, launching from 55,000 feet allows you to avoid having to overcome the most dense part of the atmosphere. These are just my guesses, but I think they make
