Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Virgin Galactic spaceship makes first test flight
reuters ^ | Mar 22, 2010 | Irene Klotz

Posted on 03/25/2010 5:14:12 AM PDT by JoeProBono

A suborbital spaceship owned by aspiring space tourism operator Virgin Galactic was airlifted into the skies over California's Mojave Desert on Monday for its debut test flight.

The sleek, six-passenger ship, called VSS Enterprise, remained attached to its carrier aircraft throughout the two-hour, 54-minute flight. Virgin Galactic, an offshoot of billionaire Richard

Branson's London-based Virgin Group, has collected about $45 million in deposits and fares from more than 330 aspiring amateur astronauts, each of whom will be charged $200,000 to experience a few minutes of suborbital spaceflight.

(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...


TOPICS: Travel
KEYWORDS: jpb; spaceship

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo is shown on its maiden flight from the Mojave Air and Spaceport in Mojave, California in this publicity photo released to Reuters March 22, 2010.


1 posted on 03/25/2010 5:14:12 AM PDT by JoeProBono
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: JoeProBono

Good for you Branson.

Commercialization of space is our gateway to the Solar System.


2 posted on 03/25/2010 5:17:13 AM PDT by agere_contra
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JoeProBono

Bucket list.


3 posted on 03/25/2010 5:17:50 AM PDT by patton (Obama has replaced "Res Publica" with "Quod licet Jovi non licet bovi.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JoeProBono

Well, Branson might be able to PAY to have someone else build him a spaceship, but I warn you now, DONT EVER BUY HIS VIRGIN MOBIL CELL PHONE.

I USED to have one, but about every 3 to 4 days I’d come home and have a recording of some SPAMMER chick named SIMONE on there trying to sell me more time, a new phone, some of this, some of that, t-shirts, you name it they telemarketed me for it.

I called several times and asked Virgin NOT to call my house and they refused. Told me it was part of the contract.

I said “fine” to the operator one day, “I want you to listen to this”. AT that moment, I put the VIRGIN MOBILE cell phone on a cement block, picked up a 12 oz framing hammer and wacked it so hard, pieces went flying. (the cement block also didnt survive)

Told the operator that was the sound of their phone being hammered into oblivion and to canx any remaining time and min I had left and dont ever call me again.

To my joy, I dont believe I’ve heard Simone since.

Sorry to get so far off topic here, but anytime I see this crap about Branson, I just have to figure he paid for it by annoying me inside my home, and thats not acceptable to me.


4 posted on 03/25/2010 5:28:22 AM PDT by scoobysnak71 (I'm light skinned with no negro dialect. Could you milk me?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: scoobysnak71

Did you read your contract?


5 posted on 03/25/2010 6:21:01 AM PDT by AussieJoe
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: JoeProBono

My only question with this guys is, why name everything Virgin? Seems bizarre.


6 posted on 03/25/2010 6:25:14 AM PDT by Vision ("Did I not say to you that if you would believe, you would see the glory of God?" John 11:40)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JoeProBono

‘Looks like a Virgin . . . . flyin’ for the very first time...


7 posted on 03/25/2010 6:37:15 AM PDT by mikrofon (Maiden Voyage)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JoeProBono

If I won the lottery (of course, that requires playing the lottery), I’d be in line, too.


8 posted on 03/25/2010 6:45:13 AM PDT by IYAS9YAS (The townhalls were going great until the oPods showed up.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: AussieJoe

>”Did you read your contract?”

Well, there really is no “contract” per say, other than what the company stipulates is the “terms of use”.

See, this was one of those pay as you go phones. You buy a 60 min card and it extends your use X amount of days. I dont need to pay $300 - $600 for some stupid phone, and I already had Verizon try to screw me when I terminated their service by telling me I had another 2 years on a 2 year contract. Once I showed them the contract, they backpedaled so fast I couldnt believe it.

I now use a tracphone and couldnt be more happier. The only and let me repeat that the ONLY time they have ever called is to remind me my service was going to terminate if I didnt buy more minutes in a couple days. Pretty much welcome when your busy.

Hey, if people want to be annoyed by whatever company they are doing business with, more power to them. But, I completely believe, that if you, in good faith, ask the company not to bother you, then they have an ethical obligation to honor your wishes.


9 posted on 03/25/2010 4:29:16 PM PDT by scoobysnak71 (I'm light skinned with no negro dialect. Could you milk me?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson