Connect with us

Published

3 years ago

on

As Virgin Galactic finalises plans for founder Richard Branson to join five others on a test flight to the edge of space on July 11, the British billionaire said his wife may be nervous about the launch but he himself wasn’t the least bit afraid.

“I’ve been looking forward to this for 17 years,” Branson said in an interview on Tuesday from Spaceport America near the remote town of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico.

He said pre-flight preparations only add to the excitement ahead of Sunday’s scheduled launch, which will be taking place one week before his 71st birthday.

“Every bit about it is a pinch-me moment,” he said.

The launch of Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity rocket plane over the desert will mark the space tourism company’s fourth crewed test mission beyond Earth’s atmosphere. But it will be the first to carry a full complement of space travelers, consisting of Branson, two pilots, and three mission specialists.

Unity will be launched at an altitude of about 50,000 feet from a Virgin Galactic carrier plane, then soar on its own rocket power to the boundary of space, where the crew will experience about 4 minutes of weightlessness before beginning a descent back to Earth.

The trip is not without the inherent hazards of spaceflight. An earlier prototype of the rocket plane crashed during a 2014 test flight over California’s Mojave Desert, killing one pilot and seriously injuring the other.

Asked how his family reacted to the news last week that he would join Sunday’s crew, Branson said his children – adventurous like him – were excited, but suggested his wife, Joan, while supportive, was more wary.

“My wife is the sort of person who would be terrified on a Virgin Atlantic airplane,” he said. “She’s the last person who would want to do something like this. But she’s known me since I tried to balloon across the Atlantic or the Pacific or around the world, and she still seems to love us.”

He laughed as he quoted his wife telling him: “‘If you’re foolish enough to do these wonderful things, you can do it, but I won’t be going to your funeral.'”

By joining the flight on July 11, Branson has positioned himself to beat rival entrepreneur Jeff Bezos into space by nine days.

Bezos, founder of the retail giant Amazon, will be on board the suborbital flight of the New Shepard spacecraft of his own private rocket company, Blue Origin, on July 20.

Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin, along with Elon Musk’s SpaceX, are competing head-to-head in the emerging space tourism business.

Branson denied he and Bezos were in a contest to see who would go up first, however.

“I just wish him and people going up with him all the very best. I look forward to talking to him about his ride when he comes back,” Branson said of Bezos. “I spoke to him two or three weeks ago, and we both wished each other well.”

Success for both ventures is considered key to fostering a burgeoning industry that aims to eventually make space tourism mainstream, at least for high-paying customers.

Virgin has said two additional test flights of its vehicle are planned before the company begins commercial service in 2022, and Branson said he anticipates offering paid flights on a “regular basis” next year.

He also said he was confident there was plenty of room in the market for his venture and Bezos’ company to compete.

“Neither of us are going to be able to build enough spaceships to satisfy the demand,” Branson said.

© Thomson Reuters 2021

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Science

Polaris Dawn Crew Reaches Record-Breaking Altitude With SpaceX Dragon

Published

11 hours ago

on

September 12, 2024

By

Polaris Dawn Crew Reaches Record-Breaking Altitude With SpaceX Dragon

Polaris Dawn, a private space mission has set a new record for the highest orbit reached by humans since NASA‘s Apollo programme. On 10th September 2024, the four-member Polaris Dawn crew aboard SpaceX‘s Dragon spacecraft Resilience achieved an apogee of 1,400.7 kilometres. This surpasses the 1966 Gemini 11 mission’s altitude of 1,373 kilometres, marking the furthest distance travelled by humans since the last lunar landing over 50 years ago. After taking off from Florida at 5:23 a.m. EDT (0923 GMT), the spacecraft orbited Earth eight times before reaching its highest point.

A Historic Feat

The crew, led by billionaire and Polaris Dawn mission commander Jared Isaacman, includes pilot Scott “Kidd” Poteet and SpaceX employees Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon. Isaacman highlighted that Gillis and Menon have now set a record as the women who have travelled the furthest from Earth. The crew’s mission aimed to gather data on the effects of space conditions on human health and spacecraft systems, venturing through sections of the Van Allen radiation belt, an area where charged particles accumulate.

Scientific Purpose

The altitude record was set to help SpaceX further its research in preparation for future deep space missions. By exposing the Resilience spacecraft to different levels of radiation, scientists aim to better understand the impacts on both the human body and modern spacecraft technology.

The mission also tests how touchscreens and digital displays perform under such conditions, which has never been done before at this altitude.

Honouring Past Achievements

As a tribute to NASA’s Gemini 11 astronauts, Charles “Pete” Conrad and Richard “Dick” Gordon, the Polaris Dawn crew carried a medallion similar to the Gemini 11 patch. The medallion was auctioned to support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, continuing the legacy of space exploration for the greater good.

Continue Reading

Science

China’s Moon Base Plan Targets the Lunar South Pole by 2035

Published

11 hours ago

on

September 12, 2024

By

China’s Moon Base Plan Targets the Lunar South Pole by 2035

China is set to establish a moon base at the lunar south pole by 2035, with the project divided into two key phases. This ambitious initiative, led by China with Russia’s support, is part of the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) programme. Initially outlined in June 2021, the plan will involve constructing a basic robotic moon base, requiring five super heavy-lift rocket launches between 2030 and 2035.

At the recent International Deep Space Exploration Conference held in Anhui on 5th September, Wu Yanhua, the chief designer of China’s deep space exploration project, revealed further details of the plan. Phase one is expected to be complete by 2035, with a more expansive model scheduled for around 2050. This will see the development of a comprehensive lunar station network. It will use the lunar orbit station as a central hub and establish exploration nodes at the lunar equator and far side of the moon.

Power and Communication Networks

The ILRS is expected to be powered by a combination of solar, radioisotope, and nuclear generators. The network will include Earth-moon communication links and high-speed lunar surface communication systems. The project also aims to deploy lunar vehicles such as hoppers, unmanned long-range vehicles, and crewed rovers, both pressurised and unpressurised.

Partnerships and Global Cooperation

During the conference, it was announced that Senegal had become the 13th country to join the project. While China and Russia are leading the ILRS, the United States is spearheading the Artemis programme, which seeks to land astronauts on the moon in the coming years. Both nations aim to achieve this goal by the end of the decade.

In addition to lunar exploration, Wu highlighted that the ILRS would also pave the way for future crewed missions to Mars.

Continue Reading

Science

Can Ageing Be Reversed in Human Eggs? New Mouse Study Offers Hope

Published

2 days ago

on

September 11, 2024

By

Can Ageing Be Reversed in Human Eggs? New Mouse Study Offers Hope

A groundbreaking study from the National University of Singapore has revealed that it is possible to reverse the ageing process in mouse egg cells, offering new hope for fertility treatments. Researchers, led by Dr Rong Li, Director of the Mechanobiology Institute, have discovered a method to rejuvenate ageing mouse oocytes by placing them into younger follicles. This advancement could pave the way for similar approaches in human fertility, although more research is needed before applying these findings to people.

The Rejuvenation Technique

The process involves removing aged oocytes from older mice and transplanting them into young mouse follicles. As oocytes age, they face challenges with cell division, often resulting in chromosomal errors that increase miscarriage rates. By reintroducing these older oocytes into a young follicle, scientists claim they have managed to restore crucial connections and enhance cell function. This method has shown that oocytes can recover their youthful characteristics, leading to improved cell maturation and lower rates of chromosomal abnormalities.

Significance for Fertility

Rejuvenated oocytes exhibited better maturation rates and fewer chromosomal issues. When these eggs were fertilised and reimplanted into mice, there was a notable increase in successful pregnancies. Dr Rong Li and her team suggest that this method could potentially be adapted to human cells, offering a new avenue for treating age-related fertility problems.

Looking Ahead

The implications of this research are promising, claim scientists. If similar techniques can be developed for human use, they could transform the way age-related fertility issues are addressed. The study highlights the crucial role of the follicular environment in egg quality and points to future possibilities for enhancing reproductive health.

As scientists continue to explore these findings, there is optimism about the potential for new fertility treatments that could help many individuals struggling with age-related reproductive challenges.

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who’sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.


iPhone 16 vs Samsung Galaxy S24 vs Google Pixel 9: Price in India, Features, and Specifications Compared



Ancient Rare Ring Belonging to ‘Painted People’ Discovered in Scotland

Related Stories

Continue Reading

Trending