Virgin’s Spaceship Survives Test Flight
After collecting roughly $45 million from aspirational space tourists, Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic is just in the testing phase. That's OK. At $200,000 a ticket, you don't want to skimp on safety. So how much to check a bag?
After collecting roughly $45 million from aspirational space tourists, Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic is just in the testing phase. That’s OK. At $200,000 a ticket, you don’t want to skimp on safety. So how much to check a bag?
WAIT BEFORE YOU GO...Reuters:
A suborbital spaceship owned by aspiring space tourism operator Virgin Galactic was airlifted into the skies over California’s Mojave Desert on Monday for its debut test flight.
The sleek, six-passenger ship, called VSS Enterprise, remained attached to its carrier aircraft throughout the two-hour, 54-minute flight.
This year, the ground feels uncertain — facts are buried and those in power are working to keep them hidden. Now more than ever, independent journalism must go beneath the surface.
At Truthdig, we don’t just report what's happening — we investigate how and why. We follow the threads others leave behind and uncover the forces shaping our future.
Your tax-deductible donation fuels journalism that asks harder questions and digs where others won’t.
Don’t settle for surface-level coverage.
Unearth what matters. Help dig deeper.
Donate now.
Technology
A flood of new satellites could lead to the destruction of the ozone layer.
Book Excerpt
On the corporate media’s fawning coverage of billionaires’ space tourism.
A booster rocket failed less than two minutes after launching toward the International Space Station, forcing an emergency landing on the steppes of Kazakhstan.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.