In the Mojave desert, Richard Branson today showed off for the first time the WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft that will launch his commercial space craft SpaceShipTwo.

More info a the official site Virgin Galactic

Obviously a complete coincidence that this coincides with NASA's 50th. picked by pocksucket 1 year ago

Astrium, the space systems arm of European aerospace company EADS, says it wants to build a four-passenger rocket-equipped jet to send space tourists to an altitude of 100 km (60 miles) above the earth for three minutes of weightlessness and a rare view of Earth's curvature. picked by DrNothing 2 years ago

On April 12, 1961, the Soviets launched a 27-year-old fighter pilot named Yuri Gagarin on the world's first piloted space mission. picked by suebe 3 years ago

Amazing flight demo! I hope I live long enough to do something like this. Richard Branson (Virgin) is just the guy to do it too.

See also:
(BBC news coverage posted by mrnelson) picked by ogri2003 2 years ago

Virgin Galactic completed a successful test yesterday of its hybrid nitrous oxide motor that will propel space tourists into orbit. SpaceShipTwo will launch into orbit using these motors after reaching the upper atmosphere after detaching from the mother ship called Eve. picked by equinox 6 months ago

NASA discovered that space shuttle Atlantis has been holed by a tiny piece of space debris. The 1/10-inch hole represents the second largest debris damage event ever identified. Fortunately, it missed everything that was important to the mission. Space debris is an increasingly challenging problem. picked by Fanatic 3 years ago

Oct 4th will be Sputnik's 50th anniversary. Although it had its scary connotations, the dawn of the Space Age was also a hopeful event. Visionaries celebrated humanity’s long-awaited climb out of its cradle, and pragmatists soon savored the benefits of communications and weather satellites. The evolution of the space program continues to be dramatic. In a decade or so, it will be hard... read full post picked by 2manyusernames 2 years ago

Sir Richard Branson is set to unveil a mock-up of the Virgin vehicle that will carry customers into space. picked by mrnelson 3 years ago

The Indian space programme hit a minor snag when it came to the menu. Many traditional dishes have side effects that you don't necessarily want in a confined space with limited breathable air on board. The Defence Food Research Laboratory have stepped up to help create a more pleasant atmosphere. picked by pocksucket 8 months ago

Astronomers from SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research have discovered a new cluster of galaxies, hidden behind a previously identified cluster of galaxies. The recently exposed cosmic giant is apparently just as bright as the first group, but is six times further away. The astronomers made the discovery as part of an international team using the space telescope XMM-Newton. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Anousheh Ansari is currently a tourist at the ISS, having paid to fly up on a Soyuz. Her blog is very entertaining, providing a view of everyday life in space that you won't find on any NASA site. Space Adaptation Syndrome, for example, isn't much fun. But life on ISS is! picked by Fanatic 3 years ago

A new picture of a sunrise from space was taken with a handheld camera by astronauts Friday on the day the Space Shuttle Endeavour docked with the International Space Station during shuttle mission STS-127.

Earth's atmosphere appears as a thin crescent shape ranging from white to blue to purple, while the planet in the foreground is a black as the void beyond. picked by AutumnLotus 4 months ago

Some animals have been bred in space, but not mammals. Japanese researchers are looking into the possibility, and doing experiments with mice on earth that mimic lower gravity space conditions.

There were some baby mice produced after the embryos were implanted, but not many survived compared to a control group picked by Bingo 3 months ago

Scientists sent Salmonella bacteria to the International Space Station aboard two space shuttle missions in September 2006 and March 2008. The researchers found that when the bacteria were cultured in the microgravity environment of orbit, they became more virulent than those on Earth. The findings showed that the conditions in which the bacteria grows affect how dangerous it will become. picked by AutumnLotus 8 months ago

In a follow up to This Post This Post and This Post, NASA announced that Astronaut Sunita Williams will appear on the program Tuesday.

The comedian said in a statement: "I certainly hope NASA does the right thing. Just kidding. I hope they name it after me." picked by suebe 8 months ago

The US has adopted a tough new policy aimed at protecting its interests in space and denying "adversaries" access there for hostile purposes. picked by robfouryqr 3 years ago

An unusual electrical disturbance has been spotted in space, travelling unchanged through the ionised gas surrounding Earth. A European space mission called Cluster detected a "soliton" wave, a phenomenon similar to the self-contained solitons that can travel along optical fibres and channels of water on Earth. This is the first known soliton in space. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Former NASA astronaut Franklin Chang Diaz has developed a plasma rocket which could cut the cost of space travel by more than half, transforming the aerospace business and clearing the way to exploration for more countries, such as his native Costa Rica. For now, Franklin plans to use the rocket, called the VASIMR, as a a mail-carrier for outer space, a garbage truck for orbital debris and, the ul... read full post picked by analumass 4 days ago

OK, while the nerdy sci-fi fan in Greenbang loves the idea of a Jetson’s style future where we all get round by jetpack or hop into our personal space vehicles for a short inter-galactic holiday, it seems completely environmentally irresponsible to be encouraging more space travel by developing the concept of space tourism in these times of climate change picked by businessman 1 year ago

Remember the astronaut who recently tested whether boomerangs return to their throwers in the absence of gravity? Well, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has released video of astronaut Takao Doi showing that the objects do, in fact, come back - even in the microgravity environment of the space station. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago