Posted on 08/15/2005 7:13:24 PM PDT by KevinDavis
A go-ahead was given last week by the U.S. Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) that clears the way for exchanges of technical information between Scaled Composites of Mojave, California and Virgin Galactic of the United Kingdom to build passenger-carrying suborbital spaceliners.
Among its duties, DDTC administers and enforces International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).
“Putting it in ITAR terms…this is one small step for ITAR, one big leap for Virgin Galactic,” said Will Whitehorn, President of Virgin Galactic—the space tourism endeavor that is a subsidiary of British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group.
“It allows us to activate all the parts of the project,” Whitehorn told SPACE.com in an exclusive phone interview, such as use of technology—SpaceShipOne’s reentry concept and hybrid rocket motor design, for example—that can be licensed through Paul Allen’s Mojave Aerospace Ventures.
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
Sounds like it. Glad to hear it.
I hope there's a contest for a ticket.
I won't be buying one anytime soon. LOL
Same here.. I think we should sponsor someone and pick who should go into space (courtersy of Free Republic of course)....
Good luck.
I think they're in over their heads and have no idea how futile spaceflight will be, without some mission besides entertaining the super-rich.
But good luck, just the same.
Yes, that fits my situation as well.
You may be right. We shall see.
That's several thousand trips. What more do they need to start?
The yacht industry does quite well serving only the super rich.
While there are plenty who can afford it, most of them lead modest family lives despite their wealth.
It takes a lonely dreamer to want it, and a true eccentric to risk their life for it.
"Suborbital intercontinental transport" ring a bell?
Put it to you this way - LA to Tokyo in 2 hours.
Suborbital tourism will find development of the suborbital liners, just like barnstormers paid and paved the way for airliners.
True, but personally I find "suborbital" as impressive as, oh I dunno, a V6 engine.
It's balls-to-the-wall, or NOTHING!
One step at a time. We didn't get to intercontinental direct flights immediately either; true orbital or interplanetary flights will come when suborbitals are common.
LOL! Suborbital is soooooooo 1940's.
Baby steps, this is still good for private industry to be doing.
Virgin Galactic Spaceship - Where No Man Has Gone Before.
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