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The first private spaceship to go into space!

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The 2nd ever private space flight is a success!

Who is getting a ticket with Virgin Galactic?  :dough:

Oh, that was a wonderful day! So full of excitment and joy at their success! It reminded me of how I felt when I watched my first Apollo launch, Apollo 9.

There are going to be a series of three documentaries about the development and flights of this beautiful craft. I think they are to be on the Science channel, or could be DWings. Anyway, its this week. I've seen one of them and it was worth the hour.

One of the project engineers said something that really struck me: he talked about how the success of these flights was important because it reminded people of what they can accomplish without the government. He said that people needed to be reminded of that. I agree.

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I attended the launch on Oct. 4 and I was deeply moved by the experience. I deem it to be one of the top 5 experiences of my life. It has changed me, for example, it has inspired me to become a public speaker.

Looking back on the experience, there were times throughout the day (when I was visiting the home hanger where SpaceShipOne is parked)--there were times which were like being in Galt's Gulch with heroes around.

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I attended the launch on Oct. 4 and I was deeply moved by the experience.  I deem it to be one of the top 5 experiences of my life.  It has changed me, for example, it has inspired me to become a public speaker.

Looking back on the experience, there were times throughout the day (when I was visiting the home hanger where SpaceShipOne is parked)--there were times which were like being in Galt's Gulch with heroes around.

I thought of Atlas as well. I thought of all the people lined up to watch and it made me think of the running of the first train on the John Galt Line, and how the people turned out to see a superlative accomplishment.

I envy you that day in the desert. :confused: And, I'm thrilled for Mr. Rutan and his team. It is a wonderful success story about some very bold and brave people.

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  • 3 months later...

Just read a great article in Wired about Richard Branson and his plans for Virgin Galactic. He's got nearly 200 companies with a net worth of $9 billion. I must say he's becoming one of my favorite capitalists. I love his enthusiasm for his new venture, there's also a great video clip of SpaceShipOne on the Virgin Galactic website.

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.01/branson.html

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  • 1 year later...

Wired, August 2006.

Commercial space travel is lifting off, and this time it's not some starry-eyed fantasy. Spaceports are being build worldwide, and old facilities are being dusted off for a wave of daring tourists, who are expected to leave the atmosphere by the thousands. The first private launches could happen next year for up to $250,000 a ticket. Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic has set up temporary camp in California's Mojave Desert and is constructing a $200 million space station in New Mexico. US firm Space Adventrues will blast off from the United Arab Emirates and Singapore. Eager to capture revenue from this new market, several US states are seeking permission from the Federal Aviation Administration to become hubs for space travel. Historians see parallels with the rise of the US airport network, which was sparked when Charles Lindbergh flew nonstop from New York to Paris to win his era's equivalent of the X Prize at a time when most airfields were military sites. Soon thereafter the elites took to the sky, followed quickly by the rest of us.

some additional data from the same article:

Virgin Galactic's $200,000 two-hour suborbital space flights will begin launching from Mojave in 2009.

By 2010, Virgin Galactic passengers will take off from the world's first spaceport build primarily for tourism.

Rocketplane hopes by 2008 to take passengers on 45-minute flights that include three to four minutes of weightlessness.

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I can't wait to go to space. I will be there. I'm going to wait a few more years before I do it, though; I just want to get more than a few minutes of weightlessness for my $200,000! :worry:

I remember seeing the Apollo astronauts launch into space when I was in elementary school. It is amazing that I will be able to go into space in my lifetime. I was very inspired by the Indian businesswoman who went into space recently aboard a Russian craft. She paid $20 million for her space experience, where she trained as a real astronaut and spent days on the International Space Station. Now that was worth it!

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I highly recommend following the updates on this site: SpaceX

The first launch in 2005 blew up. Unlike government agencies, Elon Musk and his company either learn from their mistakes or go under. A second launch attempt of the Falcon 1 is tentatively scheduled for January 22nd.

Suborbital flight is all well and good, and someday it may be routine for really fast transcontinental flights. But the real action will be, at first, in low earth orbit. SpaceX is also developing a manned capsule. Meanwhile, Bigelow Aerospace is building a destination (sorry, it will cost a lot more than $200,000).

Isn't it a great time to be alive?

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Isn't it a great time to be alive?

Yes, it is. Despite all the problems, technological achievements are coming fast and furious all around us. I can't think of a better era to be alive, when I look behind me. Looking ahead, man will soar to greater heights. But the world of today -- my world -- is great, indeed.

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