article_snippet.sent: The previous SpaceShipTwo was destroyed on 31 October 2014 when co-pilot Michael Alsbury accidentally pulled a lever that activated the craft’s ‘feathering system’.
article_snippet.sent: This is used to help this vehicle slow down and return from space - but deploying this vehicle at the wrong moment caused the spacecraft to disintegrate.
article_snippet.sent: The first SpaceShipTwo spacecraft, VSS Enterprise (pictured), was destroyed when co-pilot Michael Alsbury accidentally pulled a level that activated the craft’s ‘feathering system’ at high speeds.
article_snippet.sent: Deploying the craft’s ‘feathering system’ at the wrong moment caused the spacecraft to disintegrate .