Cosmic travel set to take off
Testing begins this summer on Virgin's new spaceship with launch expected to be in 2010
Last week, Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic unveiled a model of SpaceShipTwo, the vehicle he promises will turn space tourism into a reality.
Fancy an out-of-this-world trip? Here’s the lowdown for potential high-flyers.
When can I go? Testing will start this summer. The first passenger flights were expected next year, but Virgin insiders say 2010 is more likely. How’s it done? While conventional rockets blast off from a static position on the ground, SpaceShipTwo will be carried up to 50,000ft by its launch aircraft, WhiteKnightTwo. After release, it engages its rocket engines to power on up to 360,000ft, or 68 miles above sea level, in 90 seconds.
What can I do up there? Float about, mostly. You’re high enough, at the apex of the flight, for the earth’s gravity to be pretty much unnoticeable. The period of weightlessness will be only five minutes or so during the 2½hour trip, but you’ll be encouraged to enjoy it – seatbelts off, and 7ft of headroom to bob about in.
Bad news for anyone wanting to test the carnal possibilities of zero gravity, though. Branson has made cracks about joining the 60-mile-high club, but, with eight aboard (six passengers, two pilots), there won’t be much privacy. There’s no loo to escape to, either – which means “Nasa nappies” may be used to prevent disasters. Hardly sensual.
What will I see? Don’t expect that humbling view of the faraway earth isolated in space that lunar astronauts found so moving – you’d have to go a lot further for that. But you will have a clear sense of the curvature of the globe, and views of 1,000 miles in every direction through the multiple 18in-wide windows.
Initially, that’ll be 1,000 miles of southwest USA – SpaceShipTwo’s Norman Foster-designed spaceport is being built in New Mexico. But Virgin Galactic has firm plans for launches from Sweden, and is in discussion with RAF Lossiemouth, in Scotland. If they go ahead, you’ll be able to fly straight into the northern lights – or take in the whole of the British Isles at a glance.
Who’ll be in the next seat? Stephen Hawking, Victoria Principal, the designer Philippe Starck and the environmentalist James Lovelock are among the 200 signed up to fly.
Do I have to be fit? You’ll have to go through a medical assessment and centrifuge training to see if you can withstand the G-forces. At one point, they’re expected to reach 6 g – “like an elephant sitting on your chest”, according to astronauts.
How safe is it? The maker, Scaled Composites, says that safety is at the heart of the design, and launch will take place only after exhaustive tests and approval by the US Federal Aviation Administration. But going into space is not the same as hopping on a jumbo. The company’s president, Burt Rutan, told reporters at the model’s launch that he was aiming at similar safety levels to the early airliners of the 1920s, rather than today’s standards. “Don’t believe anyone who tells you that a new spacecraft is as safe as a modern airliner,” he said.
What will it cost? You’re looking at about £100,000, though Branson says that the price may come down to as little as £10,000 in a few years. You could always use your air miles: Alan Watts, from Harrow, has paid for his entire ticket using Virgin Atlantic frequent-flyer points. He had 2m of them.
Anyone else doing it? Branson may be ahead, but there are plenty of others in the tourist space race – among them the Amazon.com tycoon Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, the founder of PayPal, and EADS, the European consortium that owns Airbus. Its suborbital rocket is promised for 2013.
What’s the carbon footprint? It’s not good, but it’s not as colossal as you might think. Virgin Galactic claims that one astronaut’s emissions will be less damaging than those caused by a business-class return to New York – that’s about two tonnes of carbon. It’s looking at biofuel systems to lessen the effect.
How can I book? Direct with Virgin Galactic (www.virgingalactic.com ) or via its UK agent, the posh tour operator Elegant Resorts (01244 897000, www.elegantresorts.co.uk ). Yes, the same people who’ll take you to Sandy Lane.
Can’t I go a bit further? Possibly. The US company Space Adventures – which sent the first space tourist, Dennis Tito, to the Russian Soyuz space station in 2001 – is offering trips to the moon for a cool $100m, and says it could launch within four years of getting its first customer.
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