One of my lifelong dreams is that, at some point before I die, I will be able to travel off-planet and into the infinite space that surrounds us. So far that dream hasn’t had any sort of promise. NASA rules over who gets to go into space with an iron thumb, and rightfully so. However developments in the private sector have been moving forward rapidly in the past few years, and my dream just might become a reality within my liefetime.
This week Virgin Galactic, under the ever-present smile of Sir Richard Branson, revealed their plans for SpaceShipTwo, the first tourist spaceship, designed to take passengers into space, for about $200,000 a ticket. Sadly, that price doesn’t put you into an extended orbit of the planet. The craft achieves a low orbit velocity with a few minutes of weightlessness. That’s a lot of moola for a short stint in space.
SpaceShipTwo is currently set to take flight next year, with trials running later this year. For now, take a look at video footage from the official unveiling of the spacecraft from YouTube:
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