Virgin to Launch Commercial Space Flights (by '07)

[Khephra]

LONDON -- Airline mogul and adventurer Richard Branson announced plans Monday to boldly go where no private transport company has gone before -- into space.

Branson's Virgin Group said it would offer commercial space flights by 2007, with Branson himself joining the inaugural journey.

snip......

Branson, 54, announced a deal to license technology from Mojave Aerospace Adventures, the firm owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen that bankrolled June's historic 90-minute space flight by the aircraft SpaceShipOne.

The Virgin craft will be based on Burt Raton's design for SpaceShipOne, a stubby rocket-plane capable of carrying a pilot and two passengers.

http://www.newsday.com/business/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-britain-virgin-space-flights,0,4705221.story?coll=sns-ap-business-headlines

[KittyWampus]

1. What A Digusting Waste Of Money & Resources.

Unless this runs on something other than Petroleum.

:puke:

By the way, I feel the same way about race cars, personal aviation, ATV's, Leaf Blowers etc.

[Heyo]

2. That is awesome!!!

It's high time the regular people have access to space, not just military people and people hand picked by government.

If anyone could do it, I knew it'd be Burt Rutan.. the guy is a genius.

Heyo

[Big Kahuna]

4. "Regular people"?

Like billionaires?

[BiggJawn]

6. "Regular people"???

Oh, Hell yes, I'm always behind on my bills, and every time energy goes up in price, I get caught juggling bills trying to make it to the next payday, but I got an extra $200,000 laying around to go take a 3 hour ride into the Ionosphere, just like all "plain folk" do...

[Heyo]

11. It wont cost that much forever....

.... and it's possible that sometime in our lifetime, because of developments like SpaceShipOne, that taking a suborbital flight will be no different than, say, taking an airline flight.

Heyo

[BiggJawn]

12. YOUR lifetime, maybe...I'm almost 50. and Upper Lower-Class, too.

Open your eyes, not everyone is rolling in dough like you seem to be.
"...no different than, say, taking an airline flight."

I can't afford to fly Cattle-Car Airways for pleasure, either.

[Heyo]

14. rolling in dough?

me?

You couldn't have it more wrong.

I guess if I got my current life savings changed into ones, then maybe I could roll in it. :toast:

Heyo

[phantom power]

3. "Virgin Galactic"

A sub-orbital vehicle is "galactic" in about the same way that a paper boat is "oceanic"

Of course, you gotta start somewhere...

[daleo]

5. The most expensive fairground ride in history

These "flights" are about as useful as a trip on a roller coaster.

[sofa king]

7. Space historians will smile broadly at the X-Prize Foundation

Just as those benefactors of old who advanced flight through competition, and automobile and horse racing enthusiasts before them, the http://xprize.org/">X-Prize has successfully leveraged a new industry while advancing the cause of science and exploration. Capital!

[daleo]

9. Agreed, this represents a new tourist industry niche

I am not sure about the science - I suppose if they really make 3000 manned flights in 5 years we will get a better figure for the probability of catastrophic rocket failure. I believe it is about 1% right now. These guinea pigs may also reveal the physical dangers associated with unfit people being exposed to the high accelerations associated with even sub-orbital flights.

I can't see what exploration goals will be achieved. After all, the ability to achieve sub-orbital flight was established in the early 1960's when Alan Shepard did it. I can't imagine any photography or earth exploration that these flights might contribute to, that hasn't been done by satellites since the sixties as well.

It opens a window into the psyches of the super rich, I suppose.

I like space exploration, but I will admit to being cynical about this sort of thing. If you could delineate the specific scientific or exploration goals being advanced it would help us cynics to better appreciate the endeavor.

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. And in related news

the brand new hi-tech Virgin train broke down on its first day of service from Glasgow to London. Luckily, the passengers could just be put on another train. Good luck to anyone risking the spaceflight.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1314003,00.html

[w4rma]

10. Fine with me. As long as Repugs don't try to pawn this type of thing off

on us as the "new" way of researching space and science to try to defund NASA some more.

[sr_pacifica]

13. Good, Branson, and buy Bush and his gang a one-way ticket n/t