On Nov 3, 2014, at 1:05 PM, Phil Pugliese (via tml list) <nobody@simplelists.com> wrote:

> Thanks for the info;
>
> You know, way back in the old days when all a/c had props, 'feathering' an engine meant that the blades of the blade were rotated so that they wouldn't 'catch' the air anymore. It was used when it was necessary to 'kill' an engine so that the prop wouldn't 'windmill' & create a drag on the rest of the a/c. My dad used to talk about it sometimes.
>
> I've never heard of the term used for anything but 'prop-jobs'.
>
> Anyone know what the term means wrt rocket engines?

This has nothing to do with the engine, but the wings tilting up as seen in the ground image in the link above. There's also an explanation there.

"The feathering functionality is designed to be used in the later stage of SpaceShipTwo’s flight. It changes the shape of the craft, swinging its wings upward and allowing them to move to the optimum angle to slow the craft down on descent, like a shuttlecock falling to the ground in a game of badminton."

--
Bruce Johnson

"Wherever you go, there you are." B. Banzai, PhD