A malfunction during the most recent test flight of the private spacecraft SpaceShipTwo sent the vehicle hurtling out of control until its crew could stabilize the craft for a safe landing. 
 
 The issue provided some heart-stopping moments for its airborne crew and ground handlers, but also allowed the vehicle's owner, Virgin Galactic, to showcase the craft's safety features. 
 
 The commercial space plane made its 16th glide flight on Sept. 29, following a hiatus for hangar work. For the first time, SpaceShipTwo carried a three-person crew — two pilots and a flight test engineer. [ Gallery — SpaceShipTwo Makes First Glide Flight ] 
 
 To begin, SpaceShipTwo was lifted to high altitude by its carrier plane, WhiteKnightTwo. After a clean release from WhiteKnightTwo, SpaceShipTwo immediately entered a rapid descent. Springing into action, the crew deployed the ship's novel feather re-entry system. 
 
 SpaceShipTwo's ability to feather its tail section is a safety feature that increases the vehicle's stability during atmospheric re-entry. Akin to the flight of a shuttlecock in badminton, the feather system allows SpaceShipTwo to rely on aerodynamics and the laws of physics to control speed and altitude. 
 
 The glide flight lasted a brief 7 minutes and 15 seconds. 
 
 Downward pitch rate 
 
 "Upon release, the spaceship experienced a downward pitch rate that caused a stall of the tails. The crew followed procedure, selecting the feather mode to revert to a benign condition. The crew then de-feathered and had a nominal return to base," according to an updated flight log posted by Scaled Composites, builder of the WhiteKnightTwo /SpaceShipTwo launch system. 
 
 Scaled Composites is constructing the private spaceship fleet for Virgin Galactic, a spaceline company for suborbital space tourism backed by U.K. entrepreneur Richard Branson. 
 
 "Great flying by the team and good demo of feather system," Scaled officials wrote in the flight log. 
 
 According to one observer of the craft's rapid descent, "It dropped like a rock and went straight down. Typically, it takes 11 minutes to land, but this time it was only seven minutes before they were on the ground. It was a nail-biter … but that's how you learn." 
 
 Flight envelope 
 
 George Whitesides, Virgin Galactic's chief executive officer and president, said the glide flight included a third seat flight test engineer onboard SpaceShipTwo for the first time. "A good capability for us to have for this phase of test," he told SPACE.com. "Yes, apparently the tails exhibited stall characteristics in the test — which was a steep nose down maneuver." 
 
 Whitesides confirmed that SpaceShipTwo was ultimately able to carry out a nominal landing. 
 
 "Scaled is looking at the data now, but doesn't anticipate any major issues," Whitesides said. "This is why we flight test, to fully explore the aerodynamic flight envelope." 
 
 NASA shuttle leader joins team 
 
 Meanwhile, in other Virgin Galactic news, the company has announced the appointment of former NASA executive Mike Moses as its new vice president of operations. 
 
 Moses' NASA career included serving at the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida as the launch integration manager from 2008 until the landing of the final space shuttle mission in July 2011. He was responsible for supervising all shuttle processing activities from landing through launch, and for reviewing major milestones, including final readiness for flight. 
 
 According to a Virgin Galactic statement, Moses will develop and lead the team responsible for Virgin Galactic spaceship operations and logistics, flight crew operations, customer training and spaceport ground operations, primarily focusing on overall operational safety and risk management. 
 
 Leonard David has been reporting on the space industry for more than five decades. He is a winner of this year's National Space Club Press Award and a past editor-in-chief of the National Space Society's Ad Astra and Space World magazines. He has written for SPACE.com since 1999. ||||| Las Cruces, N.M., officially joined the list of the nation’s major space centers Monday when a newly completed terminal and hangar facility was turned over to British billionaire Richard Branson and his commercial space tourism venture, Virgin Galactic. 
 
 The company aims to launch paying customers beyond Earth’s confines from the new $209-million futuristic-looking facility, named Spaceport America. 
 
 New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez joined Branson and a crowd of more than 800 others during the dedication ceremonies. 
 
 “Today is another history-making day for Virgin Galactic,” Branson said at the event. “We are here with a group of incredible people who are helping us lead the way in creating one of the most important new industrial sectors of the 21st century.” 
 
 Virgin Galactic said it has taken about 455 reservations for the ride. The price per flight for a would-be space tourist is $200,000. 
 
 Instead of launching people directly into space with a rocket, Virgin Galactic plans to do the following: A rocket plane with six passengers will be attached to the wings of a White Knight mother ship, flown to 50,000 feet and released. The rocket plane's engine then will ignite and propel the passengers into suborbit. 
 
 The spaceship is designed to climb to the edge of space, about 60 miles above the Earth's surface. At that suborbital altitude, people experience weightlessness and see the curvature of the Earth. 
 
 Virgin Galactic’s sleek carrier aircraft and spaceships are made by the Spaceship Co. in Mojave, where the planes are currently undergoing test flights. Branson hopes to make its first passenger flight with his adult children, Sam and Holly, as soon as next year. 
 
 At the end of Monday’s event, the Branson trio --after rappelling down the side of the Spaceport’s massive glass windows -- named one of the ground terminals the Virgin Galactic Gateway to Space. 
 
 The gateway will house preparation facilities for company’s passengers, which it calls astronauts. There is also a mission control center and an area for friends and family. 
 
 RELATED: 
 
 Virgin Galactic signs deal to give NASA rides into space 
 
 Firm completes spacecraft factory in Mojave 
 
 Virgin Galactic makes first feathered flight over Mojave [Video] 
 
 -- W.J. Hennigan 
 
 twitter.com/wjhenn 
 
 Photo: Dancers with Project Bandaloop, based in San Francisico, hang and dance on the side window wall of the Virgin Galactic Gateway to Space hangar in Las Cruces, N.M. Credit: Mark Greenberg / Virgin Galactic
– SpaceShipTwo's most recent test flight turned into a more extensive test than the private spacecraft's makers had bargained for. A malfunction sent the Virgin Galactic spacecraft briefly hurtling out of control—but then its three-person crew stabilized it for a safe landing, MSNBC reports. The glitch allowed Virgin to showcase the SpaceShipTwo's safety features, including the “feathered" tail's ability to slow the spacecraft down. "It dropped like a rock and went straight down," said one observer. "Typically, it takes 11 minutes to land, but this time it was only seven minutes before they were on the ground. It was a nail-biter—but that's how you learn." The vehicle, designed to take tourists on short jaunts into space, was lifted to high altitude by carrier vehicle WhiteKnightTwo, which will also be used to lift a NASA-backed space taxi for testing next year. Virgin Galatic, meanwhile, hit a major new milestone in its space travel plans yesterday by moving into a $209 million New Mexico "Spaceport America" hangar and terminal in Las Cruces, reports the Los Angeles Times.