Virgin Galactic revealed its SpaceshipTwo and VMS Eve, its mothership, on December 7, signifying how far the dream of space tourism has really come. SpaceshipTwo, now named Enterprise, is the first commercial spacecraft, and is expected to begin service in about a year and half. The company and spaceship are the brainchildren of Richard Branson.
This craft will seat 6 passengers and 2 pilots, taking them 65 miles above Earth. For $200,000, passengers can experience about 5 minutes of weightlessness and see the curvature of the Earth.
More and more people are becoming accustomed to the idea of private companies grabbing a hold upon the space industry. NASA and other government agencies can only go so far with funding, as government funds continually experience cuts to make way for other expenses. With suitable incomes from the commerical industry, private companies can not only open up space to everybody, but provide vehicles and resources for the International Space Station and other space goals. Especially with the scheduled retirement of the space shuttle in 2010, several companies have already garnered contracts with NASA to service the ISS and put other satellites in orbit. Look for space exploration to finally become part of everyone's lives, an industry open to all...
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