Virgin Galactic reveals SpaceShipTwo, plans commercial space flights in 2011

We've been waiting an awful long time for this day to come, and now we're doing our darndest to rush away 2010. Today, Sir Richard Branson officially took the wraps off of a spacecraft that we initially peeked back in June of 2008: the SpaceShipTwo. Designed to hold six passengers and two pilots, this magnificent craft will reportedly be ready to ship wealthy tourists into space as early as 2011. Reportedly, the craft will be taken up to launch altitude by the WhiteKnightTwo, after which the 2.5 hour tour will take patrons high enough to experience around 5 minutes of weightlessness. Of course, the ship still has an awful lot of regulatory passing to do, and the Spaceport America in New Mexico still has to be built, but it's nothing short of fantastic to see the wheels turning in the right direction. Just think -- you can finally tell you kid that an aeronautical engineering degree isn't required to leave the atmosphere. Future, we heart thee.

P.S. - Peek that MSNBC link for the unveiling shots!

[southern78 Posted Dec 7th 2009 3:14PM]

@Nicole touche!

[SmokemeaKipper Posted Dec 7th 2009 2:32PM]

Do you get airmiles for the trip?

[willowtwf Posted Dec 7th 2009 2:37PM]

how much does a flight on the Boeing 727 aircraft named G-Force One (yes, not kidding) cost?

$200,000 for 5 minutes of weightlessness seems a bit steep.

[FitFan Posted Dec 7th 2009 2:37PM]

I'll sign up the day the tickets drop into the $10K range.

[305BuddyLuv Posted Dec 7th 2009 2:51PM]

Would like to know more on this.

[DeviantmacG Posted Dec 7th 2009 2:57PM]

What do you clean your space shuttle with? looks clean and shining

[InnocentEd Posted Dec 7th 2009 3:01PM]

This is simply awesome. Someone taking the personal initiative to push at least the beginning of general population space travel.
Ya ya its not flights out into space and it is still very expensive but its something isn't it? I think this is great, and I love him for putting his own money towards it.

[grunambulax Posted Dec 7th 2009 3:22PM]

I bet they lose my luggage.

[jamdis Posted Dec 7th 2009 3:31PM]

seriously. rich people. stop.

[Vale05 Posted Dec 7th 2009 4:09PM]

@(Unverified) This is exactly what rich people SHOULD be doing with their money.

[Vale05 Posted Dec 7th 2009 4:08PM]

Burt Rutan is my hero. I remember seeing SpaceShipOne on the cover of Popular Science back in 2003, and I've been giddy with excitement ever since.

[lightark Posted Dec 7th 2009 4:16PM]

Time to sell the house.

[nate345 Posted Dec 7th 2009 5:08PM]

@(Unverified)
"And what exactly will we do on the moon - we wont get far building anything with the ice cream cone ship NASA plans!"

Well, for one, the payload lifting power of the Ares V is 50% to 75% greater than the Apollo Saturn V so it is farther along in that regard. It could lift the entire ISS's weight into lunar orbit in just 5 launches. In comparison, the ISS will require 40 assembly flights (mostly space shuttle).

The whole idea of the space shuttle looked good on paper cost wise (reusable, one design fits all for crew and equipment while doing efficient LEO insertion and de-orbit) but turned out not to be. It was simply too complex to be run efficiently. For one, the orbiters aren't as reusable as one might think. The whole 4 part launch assembly needs to be reassembled after each launch. The liquid propellant tank is lost after each flight while the orbiters need to some degree to be taken apart and refurbished after each launch as well. In fact, the Ares V launch rocket will be about as reusable as the current Space shuttle program with the Solid Rocket Boosters getting towed back from their ocean landing, the Liquid propellant tank being lost, and the space payload having a good lifespan in orbit. Total mission cost for the space shuttle came out to be roughly 500 million per launch, a lot more than initially projected. Unfortunately, the space plane program was the step backward from the Saturn V program while this new program is the step forward (not the other way around).

Anyways, the most efficient Moon-Earth area operations would have specially designed hardware for each type of transit to maximize efficiency. There would be a LEO deorbit craft (water splashdown), a seperate Earth to LEO launch craft, a Earth-Moon ferry between two space-stations in orbit around each body, a lunar de-orbit vehicle, a lunar surface to orbit vehicle, a moon base, plus a trans-lunar surface injection vehicle (a vehicle with the weight/thrust characteristics to launch from and then land anywhere flat on the Lunar surface with a reasonable sized payload). Most of these systems are either currently in development, already operational (ISS) or currently being developed by the NASA Constellation system.

[Otto Posted Dec 7th 2009 5:16PM]

Richard Branson is the closest person in real life to Dos Equis' The Most Interesting Man in the World.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 7th 2009 5:50PM]

WTF... I'm supposed to encourage morons to spend $10 to jerk themselves off with this crap....idiot.. screw Richard and any asshole that takes the flight.

[iMrEuphony Posted Dec 7th 2009 6:55PM]

What MSNBC link?

[iMrEuphony Posted Dec 7th 2009 6:55PM]

There it is....

[zsclapper Posted Dec 7th 2009 8:30PM]

You mean I didn't have to major in aerospace engineering? Damn, such a waste...

[jamesFF Posted Dec 8th 2009 1:18AM]

If I were to spend $200,000 for a space fight, I would like to have my money worth. I would like more time in space, and a space walk outside.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 8th 2009 1:21AM]

@(Unverified)

Your mom was a waste of money. HA!