Miss the Concorde? Here Comes Virgin Galactic!

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by BillDayson, Sep 27, 2004.

Loading...
  1. BillDayson

    BillDayson New Member

    Britain's Sir Richard Branson, best known for his Virgin music stores and his Virgin Atlantic Airlines, has announced the creation of a new air(less) line, Virgin Galactic, intended to offer passenger spaceflights.

    http://www.virgingalactic.com/

    He is teaming up with Paul Allen's Mojave Aerospace Ventures, owner of the SpaceshipOne technology (and source of its funding), and Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites, the design and prototype firm that created it. Initial plans apparently are to build four or five upgraded vehicles using the SpaceshipOne concepts (design work is underway as we speak), and fly passengers in them on suborbital spaceflights.

    Personally, I wonder where these flights will take place. The costs involved with getting the FAA to certify a commercial space vehicle to carry paying passengers will be steep. Europe is even more regulation-happy than America.

    Liberia... Hey! Our aircraft certification standards are just as strict as yours. We have a government ministry!!

    Branson and Rutan are already associates. Rutan has recently built Branson a cool new aircraft, the Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer, for a solo non-stop around-the-world without-refueling attempt.

    http://www.virginatlanticglobalflyer.com/
     
  2. BillDayson

    BillDayson New Member

    Global Flyer Sucessfully Circumnavigates the Globe

    The Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer, flown by Steven Fossett, has just completed its solo flight around the world.

    http://www.virginatlanticglobalflyer.com/

    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7075972/

    This makes two planes that that have successfully flown around the world non-stop without refueling. (The first of them was a prop plane that carried two pilots (one female), this was a jet with one.) Both of the planes were designed by Burt Rutan and built by his tiny company. (He also designed and built the do-it-yourself spaceship that was barnstorming heaven itself a few months ago.)

    The daring aviators, the old-time aviation adventurers, the guys with the scarves and the goggles, are still alive and kicking, however feebly. Rutan is certainly holding up his end. Throw some visionary billionaires like Allen and Branson into the pot, and some totally crazy 'scribbled on the back of an envelope' brainstorms actually turn into hardware and get done.

    Somebody once asked Werner von Braun what the hardest part of going to the Moon was. He replied, "Deciding to do it. The rest was just calculations".

    And its kinda nice to see the California State University guys out there. Rutan earned his aeronautical engineering bachelors degree at Cal Poly SLO. (No doctorate though... what a loser.)
     
  3. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    Isn't there something in Revelations about a Galactic Virgin?
     

Share This Page