nomad4ever

With all the ‘Dark Knight‘ propaganda these days, it’s refreshing to see another Knight coming along. Yesterday another step was taken to soon bring tourists into space. Not in a galaxy far far away, but here on our planet Earth.

Does that sound like Science Fiction to you? Jule Vernes anyone?

I would rather say so, if it wasn’t for entrepreneur Richard Branson behind it. He proved already during all his life, that one can fulfill his dreams, if you simply pursue them with enough determination. You can circumvent the globe in an Hot Air Balloon if you feel like it – right?

After making his buzz in the music industry, mobile communications and airlines business amongst others, his latest baby is Space Tourism.

It seems that a trip into the vast, black unknown is a reality soon to become true.

On Monday, Richard Branson rolled out a futuristic aircraft, called White Knight Two (WK2), with a wing span of 43 meters, that could help ferry paying tourists into space. The ceremony took place in the Mohave desert, north of Los Angeles. The WK2 aircraft would act as a carrier or launch ship for Spaceship Two, which would then launch in midair from the jet-powered carrier.

The whole concept looks pretty futuristic and adventurous to me, but the first flights are already expected for September this year, with a maiden launch of Spaceship Two off the White Knight Two, scheduled for some time in 2009.

It could go into service as early as 2010!

The whole “spaceship” is entirely built of carbon composites and has 2 twin-fuselage engines by Pratt & Whitney.

Simply awesome!

The company reports, that more than 200 passengers have already paid up for the first flight, which will costs something in the region of USD 200.000 per passenger. This is dramatically lower than the 20 odd millions of Dollars the first 5 wealthy space tourists paid to visit the International Space Stations, using Sojus spacecrafts of the Russian Space Agency.

Although still, for that amount of money, you can still live a while in a friendly location of your choice, so the offer will probably limited to a selected few for quite a while.

But isn’t it simply amazing, where tourists can go soon, where no (few) men have gone before?

Be it the highest mountain, the deepest seas or now space, the final frontier.

A question for our readers remains, though:

Would you do it, if you had the chance?

Let’s say, money wouldn’t be a problem. You had won the ticket in the lottery or else.

Would you go? And why (not)?

One thing I would sign up for sure, would be a shortened, yet affordable flight from Asia to Europe, or Americas to Asia though.

They could open space ports in big cities and lift you from one port to the other, thus shortening the annoying intercontinental flights from 12-16 hours to maybe 3-4, by flying through suborbital space around the planet. Something like a better Concord plane.

Maybe they don’t even need space ports, as the vehicle is starting and landing like a normal plane.

So far, all I can say is: its nice to be able to fulfill your dreams. When your dreams can benefit mankind its especially wonderful.

And yes – it would definitely give a complete new motivation to aspiring Mile High Club members.

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written by Chris