Saturday, November 05, 2011

Space tourists eagerly await British billionaire's flights

Virgin Galactic's space-tourism flights, spearheaded by entrepreneur Richard Branson, will be launched from the recently dedicated Spaceport America in New Mexico

Few people know British billionaire Richard Branson better than his mother. After all, some say she instilled in him much of his resourcefulness and thirst for adventure.

From flying around the world in a balloon to swimming with sharks, the 87-year-old Eve Branson says her baby — as she calls him — has been in plenty of difficult and dangerous situations. All of his adventures have turned out fine, and she expects it will be no different with his efforts to get paying customers to the edge of the Earth on his Virgin Galactic space-tourism flights.

"Everything he does is usually done pretty thoroughly," she says. "He tries very hard, my little baby."

Eve Branson acknowledges that her family is anxious to see the day when the first mothership and rocket take off from Virgin Galactic's remote desert base at Spaceport America in southern New Mexico, which had a dedication ceremony last month. But this adventure goes way beyond Richard Branson and his usual stuntman antics.

The aim, the daring businessman says, is to one day make traveling to space safe and affordable for the masses, not just those who can afford a $200,000 ticket.

Hundreds of prospective space tourists are ready to fly with Virgin Galactic. More than 450 people from 46 different countries have already plunked down deposits.

The futuristic Spaceport America and the nearly 2-mile concrete runway are complete, and the spacecraft being developed for Virgin Galactic are done. All that's lacking are more rocket tests and powered test flights.

Branson said he expects enough tests to be done by Christmas 2012 so commercial flights can begin soon after. He and his children plan to be among the first to fly.

The hard part is waiting.

Sonja Rohde of Hagen, Germany, was one of the first 100 people to sign up after bumping into Branson while on safari in Africa and learning about his plan.

Rohde, who is in her early 30s, had dreamed of becoming an astronaut when she was young. The more practical desires of her parents won out, but she didn't give up the dream of one day making it to space.

"I saw a documentary that said space travel would be possible for private individuals from 2050 on. I said 'OK, I'll do it even as a toothless grandmother, but I will do it,' " she said.

She met Branson in 2005, as he and New Mexico officials were negotiating details of the spaceport venture. It was then she realized that becoming the first German woman to reach space could happen a lot sooner.

Rohde said it was a magical moment — the right time, the right place and a chance meeting with the right person.

Now, she says it's like waiting for Christmas.

"You can hardly wait to finally take off," she said.

Rohde has done some weightlessness training and has grand visions of what it will be like when she's finally aboard SpaceShipTwo.

G-forces pressing her into the seat. The sensation of traveling at four times the speed of sound. The sky changing from light to dark blue to purple and then finally black.

"I think it will fulfill everything I envision in a perfect space adventure because we will be able to see 1,000 miles in every direction," she said. "I think it will be overwhelming and breathtaking to see our fragile Earth from above, and I think it will provide a deeper appreciation, a deeper understanding of the Earth."

Branson has said it will be at least five years before Virgin Galactic has serious rivals in the commercial space-tourism race. Until then, he might have to continue pinching himself.

"The aim is not just to make dreams come true for the people who can afford $200,000," he said. "The aim is make dreams come true for hundreds of thousands of people. ... That's a dream I think that we will make a reality one day."

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