Virgin Galactic

[Xittenn]

I just saw Richard Branson on TMZ say that Virgin Galactic will be shipping passengers into space in a couple of months. Can anybody corroborate this, their site is not specifying any details? I may simply have just misunderstood the statement. The volume was a little low!

 

I think this is pretty cool, and at $200,000 it may be something I might be able to do within my lifetime. Something worth considering . . . . .

Edited November 18, 2011 by Xittenn

[iNow]

I just saw Richard Branson on TMZ say that Virgin Galactic will be shipping passengers into space in a couple of months. Can anybody corroborate this, their site is not specifying any details?

I'm surprised by that. TMZ is usually so good about doing exhaustive research and having citations stacked several levels high. I guess this must just be a rare omission on their part. Either way, have you considered looking at the Virgin website? It was hard to find, but it's there (I had to type "virgin galactic" into google).

 

http://www.virgingalactic.com/

[Xittenn]

I'm surprised by that. TMZ is usually so good about doing exhaustive research and having citations stacked several levels high. I guess this must just be a rare omission on their part.

 

I'm not sure where you were going with this?

 

 

I had looked at the site, as I noted, but couldn't find the expected dates of departure. Google brings up different things, but Richard Branson saying a couple of months on television is pretty exciting and I expect that things are well on their way.

 

I remember when the project started. It was kind of cool to hear that things were happening, present tense. I'm sure most of us here would love to occupy a seat on a future flight!

[iNow]

I'm not sure where you were going with this?

Welcome to the club. I've been feeling that way since reading your OP. Your latest reply inclines me to suspect you're looking for launch schedules. Is that correct?

[Xittenn]

Welcome to the club. I've been feeling that way since reading your OP. Your latest reply inclines me to suspect you're looking for launch schedules. Is that correct?

 

Again, I just thought it was exciting and was wondering if I heard right . . . . . a launch schedule would be great, sure! I didn't understand your point about TMZ and research. Richard Branson can say whatever he wants, it's his space ship.

 

 

I used to have a list of things that I would do if I ever got into space. Most things on the list would require that the craft be my own or that it be a 'private' flight. An example of something that would be comparably similar from another list of mine would be my dream of being tethered to the back of a plane by a bungee chord, with a companion. My in flight space dreams are much more exotic XD

[zapatos]

Don't know if this is what you heard, but I did find the following:

 

Although Virgin Galactic is generally known as a space tourism company, it sees research experiments as a future mission segment and significant business opportunity. To this end, the company has signed a contract with NASA to provide up to three charter flights on its SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane.

...

Although Virgin Galactic didn't say when the NASA-chartered flight/s were due to launch, they are set to be the first experiments flown via the Flight Opportunities Program to cross the boundary into space.

 

http://www.gizmag.com/nasa-charters-spaceshiptwo/20174/

 

Also...

With selection of Virgin Galactic as a flight provider, NASA will soon be able to offer the research community access to space itself.

 

http://www.virgingalactic.com/news/item/nasa-selects-virgin-galactic-for-suborbital-flights/

 

I believe the Flight Opportunities Program is already conducting flights.

[Xittenn]

Don't know if this is what you heard, but I did find the following:

 

I'll watch the end part of TMZ again tomorrow when I can access online . . . . .

[mooeypoo]

The first 'prediction' they announced for the first batch was 2010, obviously that was delayed. I'd love to believe they would start, but it got delayed so many times, I'm a bit dubious. We'll have to wait and see.

[iNow]

If nothing else, this thread demonstrates the rep system to be rather hilarious.

[mooeypoo]

If nothing else, this thread demonstrates the rep system to be rather hilarious.

 

Actually, it demonstrates something else, but we should really stick to the topic.

[Xittenn]

After reviewing yesterday's episode online, the following was said:

 

 

Q: How much longer until we see some travel into outer-space?

 

Richard Branson: Months not years. A few months before next Christmas anyway.

 

 

So pretty cool, but as moo said the date keeps changing. I can't see this being delayed much longer though. To continue delaying the date would seriously jeopardize any credulity and so on . . . these things take time right?

[mooeypoo]

I am not sure I'd put my money on Virgin Galactic doing the 'outer space' missions or the manned ones. If I remember correctly, so far they manage to go up to about 200-300km above the surface, which is rather impressive for a manned flight, but it's not even close to being "outer space". It's about the height where the lower-level satellites are on.

[Xittenn]

Yes, as it stands they will only be achieving low orbit. I'm not sure what the proper definition is for outer-space. I would hope that this is far enough from the planets surface so as to see the planet as a whole.

 

I guess it isn't really far enough to be considered low gravity either. It would simply be Zero-G as seen from a free falling object, kind of like the nose diving plane. I will have to spend some time looking into these proper terminologies. Get my space feet wet, in preparation for possible future events

 

Honeymoon, in low earth orbit **sigh**

[zapatos]

If nothing else, this thread demonstrates the rep system to be rather hilarious.

I thought this thread demonstrated the timeliness of the thread in Physics on ridicule.

[Daedalus]

Yeah... I don't think I'll be buying a ticket any time soon. Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo experienced "a serious anomaly", crashed in the desert, and killed one of the pilots with the other surely near death's door.

At least one person is dead and another injured after Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo space tourism craft crashed in the California desert.

The craft was flying a manned test when it experienced what the company described as "a serious anomaly".

It was undergoing its first powered test flight since January over the Mojave Desert, north of Los Angeles.

Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson tweeted he was flying to California "to be with the team".

"Thoughts with all @virgingalactic & Scaled, thanks for all your messages of support," Sir Richard said.

Both pilots were employed by Scaled Composites. One was pronounced dead at the scene while the other was transported to a local hospital in an unknown condition.

[davidivad]

i hope they dont give up.