Virgin Galactic to Offer Space Cruise through Aurora Borealis

[Mike]

Imagine what kind of spectacular show it would be like to fly into the heart of the Northern Lights. You may not have to imagine forever. Richard Branson has been busy thinking up new ways to get people excited about private space tourism, and he's come up with something pretty spectacular. He's offering to fly the affluent into the world's biggest lightshow, the Aurora Borealis.


The New Mexico Virgin Galactic Spaceport isn't scheduled for completion until 2010, but Branson is already planning his next project from an Arctic launchpad located in the far north of Sweden in the small town of Kiruna. The Arctic location provides the town with unrivalled views of the spectacular phenomenon.

The aurora borealis is named after the Roman goddess of the dawn, Aurora, and the Greek name for north wind, Boreas. It often appears as a greenish glow with hints of red and purple. The green and red emissions come from atomic oxygen. Molecular nitrogen and nitrogen ions produce some of the low level red and very high blue /violet aurorae. The lights most often occur from September to October and from March to April.

The Auroras are produced by the collision of charged particles from the magnetosphere, with atoms and molecules of the Earth's upper atmosphere. The particles originate from the sun and arrive at the vicinity of earth in the relatively low-energy solar wind. Magnetic reconnection accelerates the particles towards earth.

Kiruna already has an existing base called Esrange. Launching humans into an active aurora is more for excitement than science, but it has been deemed to be safe. Dr Olle Norberg, Esrange's director, said they've done the research. "Is there a build-up of charge on the spacecraft? What is the radiation dose that you would receive? Those studies came out saying it is safe to do this."


Safe, and undoubtedly an incredible view.

From The Daily Galaxy - http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2008/01/virgin-galactic.html

[Rick]

Virgin Galactic has released the final design of the launch system that will take fare-paying passengers into space.

It is based on the X-Prize-winning SpaceShipOne concept - a rocket ship that is lifted initially by a carrier plane before blasting skywards.

The Virgin system is essentially a refinement, but has been increased in size to take eight people at a time on a sub-orbital trip, starting in 2009.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7205445.stm

[Rick]

New designs for Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo rocket plane and the WhiteKnightTwo mothership were unveiled in New York today, supposedly bringing commercial space travel once step nearer.

Richard Branson, the man behind Virgin Galactic, hopes that with this design he will be the first to offer paying passengers a trip into space on a regular basis next year. He admitted in October 2007 that "space tourism is still a few years away from operations", so with testing due to begin in June and a forecast of commercial flights beginning 12 months later, this is not something he's rushed into.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/23/designs_for_spaceshiptwo_displayed_in_ny/

[Rick]

Space tourism entrepreneurs at Virgin Galactic are poised to unveil the mothership that will launch the fabulously wealthy on ballistic arcs outside the Earth's atmosphere.

British billionaire Sir Richard Branson and American aerospace engineer Burt Rutan on Monday will host the public debut of WhiteKnightTwo at the Mojave Desert facilities of Scaled Composites, where the rocketship is being developed.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/25/virgin_galatic_unveil_mothership/

[Rick]

The British business tycoon Richard Branson has unveiled an aircraft in the US that will be used for his project to launch tourists into space.

The high-altitude jet will act as the mothership for a spacecraft, releasing it in mid-air to take two crew and six passengers on sub-orbital flights.

More than 250 people have already paid $200,000 (£100,000) each to be among the first making the tourist trips.

Mr Branson predicts the maiden space voyage will take place in 18 months.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7529978.stm

Pics: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7530070.stm

[Rick]

The "mothership" jet aboard which Richard Branson's planned space-tourism rocketplanes will ride piggyback has had its first flight delayed, according to reports. The WhiteKnight Two carrier craft had been expected to fly this month.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/09/29/virgin_white_knight_tests_delay/

[Rick]

The British government is reportedly prepared to fund development of a rocket able to put small satellites into orbit, launched from the WhiteKnightTwo "mothership" piggyback jet which will carry Richard Branson's planned space-tourism rocketplanes to startup altitude.

Flight International reports today that "a senior official" at the British National Space Centre has said that the proposed "LauncherOne" project will receive UK government backing "through to the end". The BNSC is an alliance of UK government bodies which coordinates national civil space efforts: the nearest thing Blighty has to a space agency.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/02/19/virgin_mothership_sat_launch/

[Rick]

Pentagon space warfare planners want to work with the nascent private space-joyride industry, according to reports. Ambitious US Marine plans to fire a few good men round the world on the same timescale as nuclear warheads have been scaled back, and might instead involve shorter one-way trips using variant Virgin Galactic rocketplanes.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/02/24/i_wanna_be_a_spaceborne_ranger/

[Rick]

Rumoured control issues in Richard Branson's WhiteKnightTwo rocketplane-piggyback "mothership" craft appear to be persisting. Reports have it that the innovative aircraft smacked one or both of its tails against the runway during a recent test flight.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/04/22/virgin_mothership_tail_strike/

[Rick]

Aircraft design firm Scaled Composites, engaged in building a fleet of space-joyride craft for Richard Branson, has strongly denied speculation that its new WhiteKnightTwo launch plane might need a rudder redesign.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/04/24/scaled_response_rudder_tailstrike/

[Rick]

The firm building jet "motherships" and suborbital rocketplanes for Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic space joyride operation has begun posting flight-test results online. The move is perhaps an acknowledgement that the SpaceShipTwo programme and Virgin Galactic can only survive by maintaining high public visibility and engagement.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/05/22/scaled_posts_mothership_test_details/

[Rick]

Construction has begun on Richard Branson's multi-million-dollar rocketplane spaceport in the remote high-desert of southern New Mexico.

The Brit billionaire along with local dignitaries held a ceremonial groundbreaking Friday, featuring a launch of model rockets, historic reenactors dressed as Spanish colonials*, and a road grader leveling a symbolic patch of the desert floor.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/06/20/spaceport_america_ground_breaking_ceremony/

[Rick]

Ground has been broken on the construction site of Spaceport America, the world's first purpose-built commercial spaceport.

Those behind the project say that it will help provide a new chapter in space exploration.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8111243.stm

[mickw]

I can't stop sobbing, I'm so happy 

http://www.space.com/news/090702-guinessbeer-virgingalactic.html

[Rick]

The UK is ill-prepared to exploit the emerging commercial spaceflight sector, says the president of Virgin Galactic.

Will Whitehorn said Britain lacked the regulatory framework that would help the industry grow but which would also ensure the necessary safety standards.

Speaking at a space tourism conference in London, he said current rules would prevent Virgin launches from the UK.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8126934.stm