The crew of the VSS* Unity, just returned from its inaugural space voyage. And honestly, could these people look any more like the bridge crew from a Star Trek spinoff?
- Sid
*Virgin Space Ship, I assume. No, seriously, I didn't make that up, I'm quoting an article on the Guardian web site.
Space has given us all the chance to dream: Of beauty and wonder. Of great adventures. Of being part of something bigger than ourselves. And now…
You’ll be one of the first people to live that dream on a Virgin Galactic spaceflight!
Let that soak in for a minute. You’re. Going. To. Space.
You and your guest will board a Virgin Galactic spaceship where you’ll take off smoothly, just like an airplane, and watch as the colors outside your window change from blue to indigo to midnight black...
Hovering above Earth, nothing can prepare you for the breathtaking views of our bright planet and surrounding galaxy. Or hearing “you are now free to float about the cabin.”
Cameras throughout the cabin will record every moment in HD. With 17 circular windows for viewing, every seat is a window seat. And there’s even a mirror to watch yourself floating through space.
Following a smooth glide descent, you’ll return back to Earth safely, but forever transformed. You’re an astronaut now.
Sir Richard Branson*, Omaze Contest Page
Today I purchased 250 chances at space for a mere $32 CAD on the Omaze contest site - I could easily have bought more than that, but I'm a bit of a believer in fate: if I'm meant to win, all I really need is one.
I have no real expectation of winning – unfortunately, I have a terrible track record for anything involving luck – but it’s certainly an awe-inspiring opportunity. Whatever my misgivings about the substance of Virgin Galactic’s successful first flight, if I won I would eagerly take my seat aboard Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo in anticipation of experiencing zero gravity and seeing the Earth from orbit.
The prize draw will take place at the end of September, just a few days after my birthday. If any of the Fates are listening, it would certainly be one hell of a 60th birthday gift.
- Sid
* More likely Sir Richard's PR department, but let's give him the benefit of the doubt.
Today at 8:40 AM, Virgin Galactic finally conducted its first fully crewed suborbital space mission. Sir Richard Branson, three other passengers, and two flight crew successfully ascended to 86 kilometers above the Earth's surface, and safely returned to the Virgin Galactic spaceport.
Whether or not this was prompted by the possibility of Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos beating him to the punch with his own flight on July 20th, Branson has undeniably accomplished his goal of launching the first passenger spaceship, and plans to restart ticket sales, which have been on hold since 2014's fatal test flight incident, which took the life of co-pilot Michael Alsbury.
How do we feel about Virgin Galactic's long-awaited first flight?
Logic says that there is no such thing as bad space travel – everything that broadens the boundaries of our ability to leave the planet is good. Emotion says that Sir Richard is a dilettante, who has essentially created an expensive amusement park ride for his own entertainment and that of fellow billionaires.
But, to be fair, the nature of exploration is such that for every Charlies Lindburgh who flies across the Atlantic solo, there will be countless people who desire to make the trip on less challenging terms.
Perhaps more appropriately, for every Commander Hadfield who endures a 5-G takeoff on their way to the International Space Station, there will be hundreds or perhaps thousands of people who want a more accessible opportunity to see Earth from orbit, to live their dream, to take one of the small steps that makes up the giant leap.
To call those thousands of dreamers space tourists seems unfair, it somehow diminishes the experience, but that approach may well be the method through which commercial space travel actually becomes a practical prospect. For all the talk about how exploitation of natural resources on other planets will be controlled, we’re a long way from mining the Moon or shipping minerals from Mars, whereas Virgin Galactic has actually demonstrated proof of concept for repeatable passenger travel to space.
As of today, Sir Richard Branson has made space travel accessible to everyone - admittedly, right now to a very small definition of everyone, that being the number of people who can afford a $450,000 USD ticket, but that's how it starts, with a limited expensive service that eventually becomes affordable to the general public. It may be one small step, but it's a small step that everyone will eventually be able to take.
- Sid
