Virgin Galactic unveils commercial spaceship

MOJAVE, Calif. – The sleek, bullet-shaped spacecraft is about the size of a large business jet — with wide windows and seats for six well-heeled passengers to take a thrill ride into space.It's billed as the world's first commercial spaceship, designed to be carried aloft by an exotic jet before firing its rocket engine to climb beyond the Earth's atmosphere.

In a Hollywood-style rollout, Virgin Galactic on Monday took the cloak off SpaceShipTwo, which had been under secret development for two years in the Mojave Desert. The company plans to sell suborbital space rides for $200,000 a ticket, offering passengers 2 1/2-hour flights that include about five minutes of weightlessness

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/8faf39cfae58.jpg[/atsimg]
Image AP.

I've always thought that this was a cool project, expensive rates at first but I believe they will come down over time like all things new. Problem that I see is all of the buracratic red tape that will have to be gone through as well as the fact that if this gets up and running, NASA will find ways to undercut them around every corner even if it means taking a cut or loss, NASA does this all the time.

But the dream of comercial spaceflight remains cool for me despite any realities that plague it, we can dream right?

Source




[edit on 8-12-2009 by alyosha1981]

Wow this is awesome! Not as expensive as I thought it would be.
It was under secret development in the Mojave Desert? Where exactly?

Why don't NASA's rockets take off from a plane already in air, like this craft?

reply to post by Nventual


I believe NASA does do that for some missions. For the Space Shuttle though, it's apparently not practical...even though that's how it was initially tested.

reply to post by Nventual


Not sure exactly but here is another thread with some info on a comercial spaceport www.abovetopsecret.com...

[edit on 8-12-2009 by alyosha1981]

Originally posted by Nventual
Wow this is awesome! Not as expensive as I thought it would be.
It was under secret development in the Mojave Desert? Where exactly?

Why don't NASA's rockets take off from a plane already in air, like this craft?

Because NASA has no idea what they are doing when it comes to manned space travel. They never have. They get all their ideas from private contractors. NASA is currently trying to re-learn how to go to the moon because they somehow forgot.

Anyway, I really don't think this will get afloat. There are too many things in space our government doesn't want us to know about. If it does make it, I would imagine the passengers would have to sign some paperwork stating they will not release any information to the public if they witness anything.

reply to post by The_Truth818


I think that this wouldn't even start taking place on a regular basis until after disclosure happens, that way what's seen by the space tourists is nothing "new" it's already known

You are assuming that there is a need for disclosure. Perhaps you won't see anything while up there anyway. Or maybe these "UFO's" don't exist anyway - at least not extraterrestrial ones.

reply to post by The_Truth818


They'll wait until they're in orbit to make them sign anything. They say no, they ain't coming home. Accidents do happen...especially with tourists.

reply to post by Nventual


I'm a believer so I'll tend to "assume" a need for disclosure until I no longer believe, (which I'll assume will never happen)

reply to post by Nventual


...or that the tourists may see something, but won't remember it. Preventing what tourists may or may not see up there probably isn't going to be that difficult. I can almost guarantee you that it's a contingency that's already been well planned for, regardless of what they see. And I'm not just talking UFOs and stuff. It could be a secret military project or something else completely Earthly.

reply to post by DarthChrisious


I agree, TPTB have this covered well and that's one of the reasons it's taken so long IMO. I'm sure Virgin isn't the only company that wants in either. I wonder how many varriations we'll see.

reply to post by Nventual

Because a plane can`t carry a rocket heavy enough to get a useful payload to any kind of high orbit. The Pegasus rocket could only carry a small satellite to low earth orbit. The space shuttle on the back of the 747 has to have the engines removed, and it takes days to get from California to Florida.

Originally posted by DarthChrisious
reply to post by The_Truth818

 

They'll wait until they're in orbit to make them sign anything. They say no, they ain't coming home. Accidents do happen...especially with tourists.

That's hilarious. I'm not so sure about that though. I'm pretty sure the first people to be on board these ships are going to be celebrities. I don't think our government would try and harm them in any way seeing as how the masses are so fixated on them. But even with a disclosure, I still think it would scare a lot of people if they saw some ufo in action. It'll be awhile before this project gets up and running. You also have to think, what if some terrorist hijacks the ship? They could crash that thing into satellites, space stations, or any point on earth.

reply to post by The_Truth818


Good point, that being said, I believe that (initially) intensive background checks of anyone wishing to solicit this service will be required.

reply to post by alyosha1981


Yeah see, that's way too much trouble. I think it would just be easier for them to keep it from seeing the light of day. I really wish they wouldn't though. I'd try and scrape up 200 grand to go into space. I'd assume by the time I'm old and gray it would be significantly cheaper, so hopefully my wish of seeing earth from space will be fulfilled.

What makes you think the price will ever be within reach of the man on the street? Concorde came and went without ever reaching the price levels of normal intercontinental flights. They said when that arrived that the price would come down with time, but it never did.

Originally posted by Nventual
Wow this is awesome! Not as expensive as I thought it would be.
It was under secret development in the Mojave Desert? Where exactly?

Mojave Air & Space Port

en.wikipedia.org...

You also have to think, what if some terrorist hijacks the ship? They could crash that thing into satellites, space stations, or any point on earth.

Scaled Composites SpaceShipTwo is suborbital and does not have enough fuel to do any significant maneuvering. Even if the terrorist somehow knew exactly how to fly it, the most they could accomplish is choose which part of the Mojave desert they would like to crash into (presumably leaving their passports fully intact at the crash site).

[edit on 8/12/2009 by C0bzz]

reply to post by The_Truth818


Why do you think it would be too much trouble? Can you imagine how long the waiting list would be if it ever becomes reality? They would have plenty of time to complete at least some sort of BG check.

Originally posted by fumanchu
What makes you think the price will ever be within reach of the man on the street? Concorde came and went without ever reaching the price levels of normal intercontinental flights. They said when that arrived that the price would come down with time, but it never did.

Space travel is the new frontier just as the west was before the train, the automobile ect ect, one can rent a go in a submariene for a reasonable rate, it will just take some time for it to happen.

[edit on 8-12-2009 by alyosha1981]

reply to post by alyosha1981


The same was said of supersonic flight, yet.....

Virgin Galactic can stick it's rocket planes.

I'll continue to wait for a ride in the Gravity Control Technology's anti-gravity flying saucer.