Branson's Virgin Galactic

[Zippy]

Buy me a ticket please.

Virgin Galactic at CNN

 

[rstaff3]

Even if I had the money, it would have to be far more proven for me to be interested. BUT, I could go for one of those models!

 

[DynaSoar]

Originally posted by Zippy
Buy me a ticket please.

Virgin Galactic at CNN

LOOK AT HIM!

He looks EXACTLY like a kid with a dream. He WILL do this.

"VSS Enterprise". Keel laid 2005.

Oh, the 200 grand includes 3 days of training.

 

[eugenefl]

No kidding...sign ME up! I got goosebumps when he stated that orbital hotels "will" happen. To think that this could be a reality during my lifetime - even if I never go - is simply amazing.

 

[rstaff3]

This is good because IMO Branson has the business empire to propel this concept forward. Pun intended!

 

[DynaSoar]

Originally posted by eugenefl
No kidding...sign ME up! I got goosebumps when he stated that orbital hotels "will" happen. To think that this could be a reality during my lifetime - even if I never go - is simply amazing.

The government has contracted a private company for an experimental spacecraft operation.

An aerospace company has contracted for the first passenger spacecraft to be built...

It IS a reality during our life time. We may not see every milestone, but the post-Apollo depression is over. Ad Astra isn't just a hope anymore. Somebody will get to go. That's the important part.

 

[brianc]

Originally posted by Zippy

Virgin Galactic at CNN

Cool! That pic of Branson holding the rocket begs a few questions-

1)That's bigger than the Estes kit- when's it gonna be available?

2) Who's going to be first to paint their SSO in the Virgin colors?

 

[DynaSoar]

Originally posted by brianc
Cool! That pic of Branson holding the rocket begs a few questions-

1)That's bigger than the Estes kit- when's it gonna be available?

2) Who's going to be first to paint their SSO in the Virgin colors?

That was probably a model made by Scaled Composites.

As for who'll be first, hopefully the first person to have pre-ordered his from Rebar.

 

[Chilly]

Being involved in the flight-control and performance-engineering side of the airline business, I AM VERY EXCITED about these developments. I always wanted to be a flight or launch director. The chance may yet come before I reach retirement age, just not with NASA.

 

[DynaSoar]

Originally posted by Chilly
Being involved in the flight-control and performance-engineering side of the airline business, I AM VERY EXCITED about these developments. I always wanted to be a flight or launch director. The chance may yet come before I reach retirement age, just not with NASA.

I have a feeling that if he started recruiting now for operations and ground teams, he'd have far more than he could possibly use within a month. Some on them willing to work for free.

 

[JRThro]

Branson looks like he is having a blast!

There is an error in the story, though:
"Branson, head of the Virgin Atlantic airline, said Monday that passengers in groups of five could be sent into orbit by 2008 at around £110,000 ($200,000) a trip."

He probably did not say that passengers would be sent into orbit, or at least I hope he didn't.

Does "in groups of five" mean 1 pilot and 5 passengers? I *thought* the body of that model looked longer than SpaceShipOne.

 

[kenobi65]

Originally posted by JRThro
Does "in groups of five" mean 1 pilot and 5 passengers? I *thought* the body of that model looked longer than SpaceShipOne.

In the article on this in today's Chicago Tribune, the caption on that picture says:

"British entrepreneur Richard Branson on Monday holds a model of the SpaceShipOne, which under a deal with its designer will provide the basis for a vehicle that Branson plans to build for commercial space flights."

Sounds to me like they'd be making a "stretch" version of SSO for Virgin, with more passenger capacity than needed for the X Prize.

 

[Tom Knighton]

I have to agree though....if anyone can do it, it's Branson. The man literally has no fear! I truly feel confident that I'll be able to actually go into space in my lifetime.

Now to get my wife over this silly fear of crashing from a great height....

Tom

 

[Chilly]

Originally posted by DynaSoar
I have a feeling that if he started recruiting now for operations and ground teams, he'd have far more than he could possibly use within a month. Some on them willing to work for free.

I don't doubt you. I'm not going anywhere for the next several years, having been laid off too many times by too many airlines. But I am very interested in how things play out in ten years or so. Let's see who ends up actually creating a successful business.

 

[Zippy]

Other than in my original post "Buy me a ticket please." I've refrained from actually commenting on this endevour. I do have to say though along with others that Richard Branson's look alone allmost garunties a real effort. He is the man that can do this along with all the people that will make Space Ship 1 the most likely X Prise winner. It's a winning team. This may well be the most real manned space program put forward yet since the Chinese put a man in orbit. Not to be politic, but yes I do include George's unfunded Moon and Mars iniative. I don't really count trips to the orbitting white elephant (ISS) as a real effort but that may just be me.

 

[scottrc]

2001, A SPACE ODESSY comes to my mind.

Instead of the plane having the Pan Am logo, it would have the Virgin.

 

[graylensman]

Originally posted by ScottRC
2001, A SPACE ODESSY comes to my mind.

Instead of the plane having the Pan Am logo, it would have the Virgin.

And in fifty years, vacationers will fly with Plane Of The Ecliptic and Orb, never having heard of Virgin Galactic.