Get more articles like this and Register for our Forum.

British Billionaire Richard Branson wants to take you into Space. How does it work? For the low, low price of $200,000 a seat you can hop a ride on Spaceship Two, a sub-orbital vehicle put together by Richard and aerospace designer Burt Rutan.



Fly Me To The Moon

The trip will have you take another aircraft called White Knight II high above the Earth, at which point Spaceship Two will detach and rocket you into sub-orbital space for about four minutes of zero-gravity fun.

Mr. Branson says that this is the first step towards making Space travel viable. While I don’t disagree, there are a few things still left to consider before maxing out your Platinum Card to get your ticket.

Safety. Apparently strapping yourself to a rocket can be dangerous for your health. Several people died after an engine explosion during earlier testing.

Cost. Now while it would be nice to be the first person to rocket yourself to the moon, 4 minutes of sub-orbital flight for $200,000 just seems like bad economics. I am certain that if you give it a few years, those ticket prices will plummet.

Last but not least,


Richard Branson

Here are a few other wonders brought to us by Mr. Branson,

Richard Branson

1985 - Fails to beat the World Record time for crossing the Atlantic in a boat after the boat capsizes.

1986 - Succeeds in the crossing, with a newer more expensive boat.

1987 - Builds world’s largest hot air balloon, uses it to cross Atlantic.

1991 - Builds even larger balloon, uses it to cross the Pacific

It goes on from there, but I’d say that Richard has a pretty strong history of thinking big, achieving some marginal success and then nailing it the second time out. Considering that this is a Space Ship we are talking about, you may want to wait for the second try.

(Image) (RSS)

  • del.icio.us
  • Digg
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Fark
  • Mixx
  • Propeller
  • TwitThis