Virgin Galactic space tourism rocket explodes after take off

Federal accident investigators have an early sense of what went wrong before an experimental spaceship designed to ferry tourists beyond the Earth's atmosphere broke apart during a test flight. But they still don't know why the craft prematurely shifted its shape prior to the deadly crash.

And another question looms: How far will the accident push back the day when paying customers can routinely rocket dozens of miles into the sky for a fleeting feeling of weightlessness and a breathtaking view?

National Transportation Safety Board investigators worked Monday at the main wreckage area where Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo fell to the ground in the Mojave Desert, but also collected tiny debris 35 miles away. The accident killed the co-pilot and badly injured the pilot who parachuted out of the ship Friday. (AP)

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