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Branson
unveils space tourism craft.
Credit: Sydney Morning Herald, July 29, 2008
British
tycoon Richard Branson has unveiled a futuristic aircraft
that will ferry tourists to the edge of the heavens
as part of Virgin Galactic's much-anticipated space
program.
The
aircraft - WhiteKnightTwo - was rolled out for media
and invited guests, including Apollo 11 astronaut
Buzz Aldrin, at an early morning ceremony in the Mojave
desert north of Los Angeles.
The
high-altitude aircraft, also named Eve in honour of
Branson's mother, will act as the mothership for the
spacecraft Spaceship Two, which in turn will launch
in midair and send two crew and six passengers hurtling
into space.
The
first flights of WhiteKnightTwo are expected to take
place later this year, with Spaceship Two being attached
for a maiden flight sometime next year.
Virgin
Galactic is hoping to send its first paying customers
into suborbital space about 110 km above the earth
in 2010. The company has said more than 200 passengers
have signed up for the first flights, which will cost
$US200,000 ($210,000) each.
"The
rollout of WhiteKnightTwo takes the Virgin Galactic
vision to the next level and continues to provide
tangible evidence that this most ambitious of projects
is not only for real but is making tremendous progress
towards our goal of safe commercial operation,"
Branson said.
The
decision to name the launch vehicle after his mother
reflected the pioneering spirit of his space tourism
venture, he said.
"We
are naming it Eve after my mother, Eve Branson, but
also because it represents a first and a new beginning,
the chance for our ever-growing group of future astronauts
and other scientists to see our world in a completely
new light."
In
an interview with CNN, Branson later said he and members
of his family would be among the first wave of space
travellers, and admitted he expected to be nervous
at take-off.
"I'm
going up myself, and I'm sure my stomach is going
to turn; my children, my parents are going up,"
Branson said.
"There's
going to be an element of nervousness, but it will
be, I think, the journey of a lifetime .. So, you
know, you've got to have a little bit of nervousness.
It's natural."
WhiteKnightTwo
boasts a wingspan 43 metres and is the world's largest
carbon composite aircraft, Virgin Galactic said.
With
a maximum altitude of more than 15,240 metres, the
twin-fuselage craft will be able to support up to
four daily spaceflights, the company added.
WhiteKnightTwo
was designed and built by Scaled Composites, a California-based
aerospace company run by engineer Burt Rutan.
Last
July, three people were killed after a rocket being
developed by the company in connection with the Virgin
Galactic program exploded.
Branson
described space exploration as an essential final
frontier that could potentially help to manage global
warming via the development of weather satellites,
agricultural monitoring and climate science.
"I
also believe that someday we will be able to use space
as a source of energy for the planet, through solar
power satellites, using the most sustainable source
available -- our sun," Branson told the audience.
AFP
More
Articles:
Cheeky
Branson's Life
(Photo by Patricia Feijoo, pitched
by Media Man Australia)
What a ball it was. More than
3000 people attended and more than $1 million was
raised for the Virgin Blue Charity
Hangar Ball last Saturday.
With
Marcia Hines, Rogue Traders, Earthquake and Evermore
providing the entertainment, and Catriona Rowntree
as MC, it was some do.
It
was great to see Virgin boss Richard Branson (pictured)
dressed in the Yuggera tribe costume, complete with
traditional markings.
CC
believe Richard turned the tables on the media when
he took a Nikon camera and shot pics of the astounded
photographers.
There
was another big surprise when he of the Peter Beattie
split-watermelon grin, Mr Branson took off his expensive
watch and offered it up for auction.
It
fetched more than $50,000 but the bottom line it was
all done for a good cause.
(Credit:
The
Gold Coast Bulletin)
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