Virgin Galactic
Take a look at this teaser video of Spaceship Two, presumably put together by or on behalf of Virgin Galactic. That looks like incredible fun and maybe closest that I might get to orbit in my lifetime, unless we accelerate our manned spaceflight projects. Not sure why you need those whacky helmets though.
Cynic that I am, I notice that they glossed over two major problems with the flight demonstrated in that promo video. First off, where are the barf bags? Take a bunch of landlubbers into a weightless condition, and then rotate the spaceship so as to mess up their sense of up and down, and the first thing they are going to do is hurl! No meals provided on this flight, I’d hazard. Secondly, it’s all very well to tap your wristwatch when it is time to take your seats ready for “deorbit”, but we are assuming that our aforementioned sick-encrusted travelers are going to have the coordination to get themselves back to their seat in a timely manner. “Hey man, get your butt out of my face!” It may not go as smoothly as that video portrayed.
Seriously though, I am sure both these issues have been addressed by the so-called “vomit comets”, those aircraft that fly steep climbs and descents to simulate weightlessness, so I hope that Sir Dicky Branson’s VP of Space Travel has taken a ride or two to become familiar with the awkward sensations his customers are going to experience. I for one applaud Virgin, Scaled Composites, and the other board members on their radical venture that is, if I may use a horrible sci-fi cliche, “light-years ahead of everyone else”.
See you in orbit.
