Virgin Galactic says its spacecraft designed to launch tourists into space completed an important test flight on Thursday. The rocket ship, called SpaceShipTwo VSS Unity, climbed more than 82 kilometers during the flight above California’s Mojave Desert. Virgin Galactic said by reaching this height, the spacecraft had reached the boundary of space for the first time. The 80-kilometer space boundary is used by the U.S. Air Force and other U.S. agencies. That differs from a long-held view that the boundary is reached at 100 kilometers. Virgin Galactic officials say recent research favors the lower number. At the start of the flight, a special plane carrying the VSS Unity climbed to nearly 13,700 meters before releasing the spaceship. The VSS Unity then fired up its rocket engine and quickly traveled up and out of sight from a group of watchers on the ground.
Title: Virgin Galactic Completes Test of Spaceship to Carry Tourists
Content: <div id='article-page'><div id='article-content' data-media-url='//news-app-staging.s3.amazonaws.com' data-base-url='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3025/VG.wav' data-capture-url='//staging.analytics.lingraphica.com/events/capture_news' data-article-title='Virgin Galactic Completes Test of Spaceship to Carry Tourists' data-article-id='3570'><script src='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/javascripts/getscripts.js'></script><link rel='stylesheet' href='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/stylesheets/article.css' type='text/css' /><div class='article'><p><span data-start-time='0' data-end-time='12313'>Virgin Galactic says its spacecraft designed to launch tourists into space completed an important test flight on Thursday.</span> <span data-start-time='12313' data-end-time='26792'>The rocket ship, called SpaceShipTwo VSS Unity, climbed more than 82 kilometers during the flight above California’s Mojave Desert.</span> <span data-start-time='26792' data-end-time='37042'>Virgin Galactic said by reaching this height, the spacecraft had reached the boundary of space for the first time.</span> <span data-start-time='37042' data-end-time='47125'>The 80-kilometer space boundary is used by the U.S. Air Force and other U.S. agencies.</span> <span data-start-time='47125' data-end-time='55083'>That differs from a long-held view that the boundary is reached at 100 kilometers.</span> <span data-start-time='55083' data-end-time='62146'>Virgin Galactic officials say recent research favors the lower number.</span> <span data-start-time='62146' data-end-time='75958'>At the start of the flight, a special plane carrying the VSS Unity climbed to nearly 13,700 meters before releasing the spaceship.</span> <span data-start-time='75958' data-end-time='88083'>The VSS Unity then fired up its rocket engine and quickly traveled up and out of sight from a group of watchers on the ground.</span> </p></div><div class='control-buttons-sticky' style='display:none;'><div class='control-buttons'><button title='Back' class='back' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Play' class='play' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Pause' class='pause' style='display:none;'></button><button title='Forward' class='forward' disabled='disabled'></button><button class='finished-reading' style='display:none;'>Done</button></div></div></div><div id='article-media'><div id='media-image'><img src='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3025/VG.jpg'/></div></div><div id='question-content' style='display:none;'><div class='vocabulary_question question-container' data-question-id=12121 data-hint-location='26792' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3025/what_does_boundary_mean.wav'>What does boundary mean?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='edge or limit'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3025/outer_space.wav'><span>outer space</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3025/lower_number.wav'><span>lower number</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3025/edge_or_limit.wav'><span>edge or limit</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3025/new_heights.wav'><span>new heights</span></div></div></div><div class='multiple_choice_question question-container' data-question-id=12122 data-hint-location='0' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3025/what_is_the_space_craft_designed_to_do.wav'>What is the space craft designed to do?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='launch tourists into space'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3025/explore_the_galaxy.wav'><span>explore the galaxy</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3025/travel_up_and_out.wav'><span>travel up and out</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3025/launch_tourists_into_space.wav'><span>launch tourists into space</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3025/take_an_important_test.wav'><span>take an important test</span></div></div></div><div class='sentence_completion_question question-container' data-question-id=12123 data-hint-location='12313' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3025/the_flight_was_above_the_california__blank_.wav'>The flight was above the California <span class='blank'>desert</span>.</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='desert'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3025/highway.wav'><span>highway</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3025/mountains.wav'><span>mountains</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3025/coastline.wav'><span>coastline</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3025/desert.wav'><span>desert</span></div></div></div><div class='question-buttons'><button class='skip-button'></button><button class='hint-button'></button><button class='speak-button'></button></div></div></div>
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