I've come to the conclusion that the most important organization in the future of space travel is not NASA or the China National Space Administration. It's the British company Virgin, run by Richard Branson. Last year, Branson and Virgin successfully bankrolled the first privately-funded space flight. I thought that was incredible enough, but now he's inked a deal to create a space port in Roswell, New Mexico. in five years, the port should be ready to launch weekly three-hour spaceflights for wealthy tourists. Yes, Roswell. Could that be any more perfect? And in case you think it won't be successful, the new company Virgin Galactic has already taken in fourteen million in pre-orders and has 38,700 pre-registered, including William Shatner and Signourney Weaver. This is too exciting for words. The idea of private spaceflights is something that people have dreamed of for decades. I probably won't be able to go, but that would make a great IMAX movie. Okay, so maybe this kind of thing should be commonplace, considering it's 2005. But it's better than nothing. Screw you, NASA. Go float some frogs.
Related:
My memorial on Spaceship One's first flight
Categories: science
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6 comments:
Man, that Bransen is an incredible marketer. Shatner? Weaver? How perfect is that? And Roswell? That couldn't get any better. The amazing thing is that once you say it, you wonder how noone ever thought of it before.
Now I'm excited. Maybe someday the cost will go down enough for average people to say they've been in space. And once that becomes common, it's off to the moon.
Dear Sir,
One of these days, Alice. Bang. Zoom. Straight to the moon.
Signed,
Jackie Gleason
Dear Sir,
That's not an astronaut, it's a TV comedian! And he was just using space travel as a metaphor for beating his wife.
Signed,
Philip J. Frye (Futurama)
I would be more interested if there was ever a possibility that I could afford it. That takeoff would probably make me puke though.
Dear Sir,
Sign me up! I've nothing else to do.
Signed,
Gay N'Sync Guy
Dear Glomgold,
Which one?
Signed,
All 5 Gay N'Sync Guys
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