Didn't get enough Virgin Galactic as we were liveblogging the unveiling of WhiteKnightTwo last week? Then allow us to present this video from our pals at Boing Boing tv.
Host Xeni Jardin chats with Buzz Aldrin, Richard Branson and David Cush to get more scoop on the launch vehicle that--fingers crossed--will be lofting paying passengers 62 miles above Earth by 2012.
We're out in the Mojave Desert today for the roll out of Virgin Galactic's White Knight Two, the carrier vehicle for SpaceShipTwo.
In addition to our video, we also found time to shoot tons of pics before we were hustled back to LA by the Virgin crew. From a glamour shot of Richard and Burt to a shot of the plane's throwback Vargas Girl, you'll find our faves below.
In all, we were in Mojave for about three hours, inside a hangar with White Knight One, while hearing all about WK2, parked out front. A media spectacle? Sure. But definitely a historic unveiling of a plane we'd love to hop on.
We're out in the Mojave Desert today for the roll out of Virgin Galactic's White Knight Two, the carrier vehicle for SpaceShipTwo.
If our first photo of Virgin's new spaceship didn't do it for ya, how's this video?
To the left of the frame, it's Richard Branson, hanging over a Vargas Girl based on his mum. To the right, it's Burt Rutan, the founder of Scaled Composites and the mastermind of the WK2.
After minutes of waving, they finally came down out of the ship and started answering questions about the massive all-carbon-fiber beast.
We're out in the Mojave Desert today for the roll out of Virgin Galactic's White Knight Two, the carrier vehicle for SpaceShipTwo.
Stagecraft master Richard Branson just rolled up to a hangar in Mojave with Burt Rutan riding in the White Knight Two. We have to admit: It looks pretty awesome.
The all-carbon-fiber ride is the largest such vehicle on Earth, and it also happens to be the most fuel efficient airplane ever created.
Over the coming months, it'll be run through a battery of ground and air tests, gearing up for its marraige to SpaceShipTwo, the actual space vehicle that Branson hopes will ferry passengers 62 miles up by 2012.
We're out in the Mojave Desert today for the roll out of Virgin Galactic's White Knight Two, the carrier vehicle for SpaceShipTwo.
What better way to kick off our space ship coverage today than to post a photo of Charles Ogilvie mugging with a model of one. The man may be holding controllers for Virgin America's RED system, but you never know what partnerships could happen, says Charles, who now works at Panasonic:
Much of the entertainment [on Virgin Galactic] will probably be looking outside and the sensations: Don't forget the fact that you're weightless and that's pretty cool! We certainly envision areas where Panasonic innovation can help capture and take a little of such a profound experience back to Earth with you.
Hmmm... Built-in panoramic cameras? Memory stick readers and seat-back email capability? Video chat with friends from 62 miles up? Guess we'll find out soon enough.
Rafael Nadal blasted off at this year's Wimbledon to whomp Roger Federer in the fifth set of the finals. Now the 22-year-old superstar is getting an interstellar tribute: An asteroid in the belt between Mars and Jupiter will be named for him.
The rock, which measures four kilometers in diameter, isn't suitable for, say, a vacation house, but Rafa's welcome to watch it move through space from the Astronomical Observatory of Mallorca, the Balearic isle where he was born. Right now the best he can hope for is to ride past it on Virgin Galactic.
Got your spaceflight booked yet with Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic? They're still saying the first space tourist flights should take off next year at a cost of $200,000--or two million frequent flier points.
Initially, the suborbital space flights will blast off from the Californian desert, but if the government of South Australia has any say in it, that might change. The SA Tourist Commissioner has suggested to Branson that the vast nothingness that makes up much of the south-central Australian state would be the perfect launching pad for Virgin Galactic flights.
If Branson considers all those nasty nuclear tests that happened in the area in the 60s, he might be able to increase his profit line by not even taking off--some of that desert probably looks just like outer space already.
As if we needed any more hype for Richard Branson's new commercial space flights, the brash billionaire hosted an event at the American Museum of Natural History yesterday to unveil his new Space Ship Two. The six-passenger pod will loft astronaut wannabes to an altitude of 68 miles. The cost? "Only" $200,000 a ticket.
Of course for that price you'll get a good view of the Earth below through 18-inch windows. Flyers will also be allowed to move around the smallish cabin for part of the flight and enjoy 4.5 minutes of weightlessness.
While Virgin still has some testing to do on both the passenger pod and the mothership that will carry it into the upper reaches of the atmosphere, the company seems totally serious about actually flying people into space. The first trips could happen as early as 2009, and Branson says the cost will come down by 2014. Start saving those nickels and dimes now, kids!
0 Comments - Add Yours
by pbb
