Looks a lot like an update from the old X24A & X24B lifting bodies of the 60's & early 70's.

wasn't this supposed to happen summer 2012 from the scaled composites whiteknighttwo? what happened, why the delay, and why from a helicopter?

is this what happen with the six million dollar man? wow no back up craft :(

I read elsewhere that this "lifting body" concept was roughly 20 years old... but that's false. Because I toured a model of a very similar lifting body craft when I was a child, making the basic design more than 40 years old.

Go to the Russians, they have both a nice Buran sitting around. Tho even better if you want to go small scale, is the test bed for the Buran. That one is green and sitting next to a HIND in a museum, on the outskirts of Moscow. (No don´t pronounce Moscow as Mos cow..if any thing its Mosckba). Excellent museum tho :D
Sad about this accident tho, I am for any and all space stuff.

Well, this is so stupid. It is like going to climb Mount Everest and then getting involved into a car accident on the way to the first base camp.
It would be a shame of they gave up because of the the stupid landing gear. It has nothing to do with the rest of the vehicle. Finally, 40 years after the concept of a lifting body was invented, some should make an actual lifting body vehicle.

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/history/pastprojects/Lifting/index.html It reminds me of the lifting body design by NASA. I think they were cool. I think this newer design is even cooler. They definitely improved the design, IMO.

Here ya go Chizzy, Spaceship 2's second flight, the flight test mentioned in the article above is a different company.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DB5DfD8ifVo&noredirect=1

Who pays the freight for this failure?

If you're going to use MY runway, and MY cleanup crew, I get to see the video of you throwing parts of your airplane all over it.
-Joe Taxpayer