WhiteKnightTwo to be unveiled on Monday, space to seem less far away

Hold onto your dollar bills, y'all -- the WhiteKnightTwo is set to be unveiled (and swooned over) on Monday. We knew the fabled space tourism vehicle was set to be unwrapped this month, but knowing that said event is merely hours away just gets our juices flowin'. Richard Branson and "other dignitaries" are preparing to officially launch the ship at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California (a short drive from Zzyzx, we hear), and we're still being led to believe that test flights should begin as early as this fall. Hey, at least you know what you're doing next year if your ship comes in.

[Via The Register]

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 26th 2008 3:32PM]

So many nay-sayers. Are you expecting the first private spacecraft to accomplish what NASA has done with billions of government money?

Sounds like the people saying FAIL to the personal computer because it couldn't measure up to the military's at the time.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 26th 2008 4:25PM]

I'll bet he felt like a real ass after he thought he was first on the mobile me article...

[Don G Posted Jul 26th 2008 4:25PM]

Think im gonna low rank you because he seemed to have edited it before i read it

[Rooshma Posted Jul 26th 2008 9:12PM]

Richard Branson is worth more than your life, go frickin read wikipedia and you'll realize he's not just some loser big-shot.

BTW unless your name is failed sarcasm you might want to change it

[CharlieX Posted Jul 26th 2008 5:09PM]

Engadget needs to put a filter in place that automatically rejects "first" comments.

they do nothing but WASTE EVERYONE'S SCREENSPACE

[Connersgotit Posted Jul 26th 2008 6:07PM]

thats so sweet how they have windows all the way around the hull

[derX Posted Jul 26th 2008 6:01PM]

...if we're talking about screen space, I'm pretty sure your comment was longer than the "FIRST!"

Is it immature, yeah, but I don't get why it irks people so much. God, get some real problems.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 26th 2008 6:26PM]

Smithers, hop in!

But sir...

I said...Hop. In.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 26th 2008 6:39PM]

For those who say NASA isn't doing any innovation, please take time to educate yourself at the NASA website. The following is a nearly complete list of NASA's current missions:

Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE), AIM: Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere, Aqua, ARCTAS, Astro-E2/Suzaku, Aura, CALIPSO, Cassini-Huygens, Chandra X-ray Observatory, CloudSat, Cosmic Hot Interstellar Plasma Spectrometer (CHIPS), Constellation: NASA's Future, Cluster ESA/NASA, Dawn, Deep Impact, Earth Probe Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (EP-TOMS), Earth Observing-1, EPOXI, Fire and Smoke, GALEX, GLAST Launches on Gamma Ray, Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES), Geotail, Gravity Probe B, Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment, Hayabusa (MUSES-C), High Energy Transient Explorer-2 (HETE-2), Hinode (Solar B), Hubble Space Telescope, Ice Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite (ICEsat), International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL), International Space Station, Jason, Landsat, LCROSS, Mars Express, Mars Exploration Rovers, Mars Odyssey, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Mercury, Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER), New Horizons, NOAA Environmental Satellites, Ocean Surface Topography/Jason 2, Phoenix on Mars, Pioneer, Pioneer Venus, Polar, Polar Operational Environmental Satellite (POES), QuikScat, Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI), Rosetta, Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE), SMART 1, SOFIA, Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE), Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO), Space Shuttle, Spitzer Space Telescope, Stardust, Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS), Swift, TacSat-2, Terra, THEMIS, Thermospere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED), Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS), Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE), Tropical Composition, Cloud and Climate Coupling (TC4), Tropical Rainfall Measuring (TRMM), Voyager, Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP), XMM-Newton

[Wwhat Posted Jul 27th 2008 9:36AM]

I wonder how that list looks if you removed all the international/ESA projects.

[livioo Posted Jul 27th 2008 4:28PM]

I wonder if anyone actually read that list... I'll give him a +

[Alareth Posted Jul 26th 2008 7:04PM]

And while we are at it, the number of articles he begins with "It's been a hot minute" are excessive IMHO.

[Mistique Posted Jul 26th 2008 7:12PM]

So, that genius is gonna really do his revolutionary project, 'Virgle'?!!

[Mile Posted Jul 26th 2008 7:17PM]

Looks like a great ride...for ants!

[Solipsism Posted Jul 26th 2008 10:10PM]

The Richard Branson Plane for Kids Who Want to Go Into Space Good and Learn to Do Other Stuff Good As Well

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 26th 2008 9:15PM]

That guy looks like Chuck Norris. I can't believe no one mentioned this as it was the first thing I saw when I looked at that picture.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 18th 2008 12:34PM]

Now is definitely not the first time that most people have seen this guy's face.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2008 2:08AM]

Chuck Norris' beard should punch you for that.

[Wwhat Posted Jul 27th 2008 9:37AM]

Perhaps people avoided saying so because he doesn't look like norris AT ALL.

[Lazerface Posted Jul 27th 2008 3:44AM]

........................................... lots of dots mean your far from it

[Cactus Posted Jul 27th 2008 5:21AM]

Short drive? Mojave is about 120 miles from here (Baker, right by Zzyzx)

(I know, you were just looking to throw Zzyzx in there... any affection for it -- beyond the freeway exit sign? It's an awesome place -- I've taken CSU Cont-Ed classes to spend a couple weekends there)

[Kizorblade Posted Jul 27th 2008 5:48AM]

Second to scream.
First to fail.

[ran Posted Jul 27th 2008 10:19AM]

New one looks sleeker, but somehow I liked the rounded shape of the former.

[JoeJoeJoeJoeJoe Posted Jul 27th 2008 10:29AM]

Leave your fantasies out of this!

[KezMondo Posted Jul 27th 2008 11:09AM]

In Soviet Russia, Engadget Firsts YOU.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2008 1:00PM]

Sad.
200k for 5 minutes of puking up the champagne and caviar? Galactic and it can't even go into orbit? Imagine NASA trying that stunt and calling it Star Voyager.
The filthy rich are revolting. They ruin everything, worse still in NYC, look what they've done to Manhattan, it's now dead of any real culture. They will do the same with everything they touch. I can see the list for the first trip now. 200k on this? These people should pay tax and be slapped hard for being such idiots as to waste money on this.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 28th 2008 1:33AM]

Most people have to work hard for their money, who are you to decide what's 'sad' use of money? You make me sick.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 29th 2008 6:16PM]

PeterNJ. I agree! Yeah, yeah. Slap up those filthy rich people and tax them. Better yet, lets get our torches and stampeed their castles! Yeah! And take all their money! Sure!! And we can sit on our lazy butts and eat their caviar!! Yeah! We deserve it! Its not out of ENVY, just in the name of "culture"! Vote Communist and eliminate all the rich, and they'll be poor and stupid like ME!

[suhag1029 Posted Jul 28th 2008 2:58AM]

please dont procreate blu

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 28th 2008 6:55AM]

The question remains: DOES IT BLEND?!

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 28th 2008 10:48AM]

The Register article says that these voyages are for the "fabulously rich", and complains about the price being 200,000 for a mere 5 minute trip. Personally I find it ridiculous that people are complaining about the price and insinuating that the greedy private companies are charging too much. It costs 10 to 20 million dollars to fly into space with the Russian government as a space tourist. Virgin Galactic on the other hand, from the private sector, are only charging $200,000. Granted, going into space with the russsian government is a much longer trip, but still.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 28th 2008 11:50AM]

In 9th grade I won hangman with "Zzyzx".

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 29th 2008 5:02AM]

I must say it's really amazing how Virgin Galactic can managed to get this WhiteKnightTwo into orbit with less investment compare to NASA.

One thing that make me wonder - i think not everybody who can go for space tourist - there might be some training before you get into space! ? like NASA did lots of intensive testing with human to ensure they are fit enough to stay obit for longer ?