Virgin Galactic space launch today with Richard Branson on board

[Kai]

Eventful day! A few major finals and a space launch. Godspeed.

The crew : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSNdG2JYXxY

[Trader Pat]

Can always rely on Branson to squeeze in a couple of hottie's whatever the occasion

Will make good tv but I think this article describes the whole endeavour pretty accurately. My favourite part is where it says technically Branson isn't even going into space

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ ... s-ego-trip

[Kai]

Can always rely on Branson to squeeze in a couple of hottie's whatever the occasion

A skeptic would say he just wants to be the first man to bang a hot chick in space.

[Trader Pat]

Can always rely on Branson to squeeze in a couple of hottie's whatever the occasion

A skeptic would say he just wants to be the first man to bang a hot chick in space.

He'll have to be quick they'll only be weightless for a few minutes

Timeline here is interesting.. Branson will be the first into 'space' but Bezos will go higher but neither can achieve the speeds required for orbital flight. So surely an odds on shot that Elon Musk will come along in the next year or two and blow both of them out of the water

[ShaunWhite]

Yay, a few more thousand tons of shit dumped into the atmosphere to satisfy the egos of a few billionaires. Space trips for science have a cost/benefit but this is just some sort of sick joke.

[Derek27]

Can always rely on Branson to squeeze in a couple of hottie's whatever the occasion

A skeptic would say he just wants to be the first man to bang a hot chick in space.

Surely that's already been done by now?

[Derek27]

50 miles isn't really space. The 62-mile high Kármán Line gets its space definition from the fact that an aircraft would have to fly so fast at that altitude to gain lift that it would reach orbital speeds.

If you're going to do something Mr Branston, do it properly.

[Kai]

Livestream is up : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTpWYWIfP7Y

Stephen Colbert is the host

[firlandsfarm]

Congrats Sir Richard, airborne and at 40,000 ft. ... it's Great to be British ... come on England

[Kai]

Inspiring stuff overall, in a few years time we can all be astronauts And it will only cost a few dogecoins!

[firlandsfarm]

50 miles isn't really space. The 62-mile high Kármán Line gets its space definition from the fact that an aircraft would have to fly so fast at that altitude to gain lift that it would reach orbital speeds.

If you're going to do something Mr Branston, do it properly.

I think he's done it better than you Derek! Why do people knock success, especially by a successful Brit.?

BTW according to NASA and all their experts it is space, who is this Karman guy anyway? Someone looking for his 'Warhol minutes'? As Wikipedia states his 'Line' is an "attempt to define a boundary" and adds "Not all organizations recognize his definition. The US Air Force and NASA define the boundary as 50 miles (80 km) above sea level." Note, it's an 'attempt', it has no authority in proof.

What in your mind makes this Karman geezer more authoritative than the experts at USAF and NASA?

[firlandsfarm]

My favourite part is where it says technically Branson isn't even going into space

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ ... s-ego-trip

Good to see the Grauniad is true to form and can't get anything right ... I trust USAF and NASA more than the Grauniad.

[firlandsfarm]

The Unity has safely landed, well done Sir Richard and team.

[Derek27]

50 miles isn't really space. The 62-mile high Kármán Line gets its space definition from the fact that an aircraft would have to fly so fast at that altitude to gain lift that it would reach orbital speeds.

If you're going to do something Mr Branston, do it properly.

I think he's done it better than you Derek! Why do people knock success, especially by a successful Brit.?

BTW according to NASA and all their experts it is space, who is this Karman guy anyway? Someone looking for his 'Warhol minutes'? As Wikipedia states his 'Line' is an "attempt to define a boundary" and adds "Not all organizations recognize his definition. The US Air Force and NASA define the boundary as 50 miles (80 km) above sea level." Note, it's an 'attempt', it has no authority in proof.

What in your mind makes this Karman geezer more authoritative than the experts at USAF and NASA?

I would define success as employing good customer service staff at his Virgin Media HQ, he should have done that first. I'm also a bit irritated that so many people are complaining about the amount of CO2 thrown into the air by aircrafts (which serve an essential purpose) yet 700 planned entertainment rockets are celebrated.

As far as I know the 50 mile boundary was defined in the sixties and quite arbitrary. The 62 mile boundary is based on the fact that the atmosphere's so thin a winged aircraft would need to reach orbital speeds to generate enough lift to stay up on lift alone. I know it's not a perfect definition of space but it strikes me as better.

[Euler]

Yay, a few more thousand tons of shit dumped into the atmosphere to satisfy the egos of a few billionaires. Space trips for science have a cost/benefit but this is just some sort of sick joke.

I'd argue that the more people you put in space, the more people will look down and out to the emptiness and realise just how special the earth is.