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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

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Ancient Ice Core from Antarctica May Reveal Climate Mysteries from 1.2 Million Years Ago

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January 14, 2025

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Ancient Ice Core from Antarctica May Reveal Climate Mysteries from 1.2 Million Years Ago

A groundbreaking discovery has been made in Antarctica, where a team of scientists successfully extracted a 2.8-kilometre-long ice core believed to contain air bubbles and particles from 1.2 million years ago. This ancient ice sample, retrieved under extreme conditions with temperatures reaching -35 degree Celsius, holds the potential to reveal crucial insights about a critical period in Earth’s climate history. Researchers aim to study this ice to understand significant climatic shifts and their potential links to near-extinction events in human ancestry.

Historic Ice Recovery and Its Implications

According to reports from BBC News, the ice core was obtained from a drilling site named Little Dome C, situated on the Antarctic Plateau at an elevation of nearly 3,000 meters. The project, led by the Italian Institute of Polar Sciences and supported by scientists from ten European countries, took four Antarctic summers to complete. The extracted ice contains air bubbles, volcanic ash, and other particles, providing a snapshot of atmospheric conditions from up to 1.2 million years ago.

This ice core could shed light on the Mid-Pleistocene Transition, a period 900,000 to 1.2 million years ago when the glacial cycle lengthened from 41,000 to 100,000 years. Experts are particularly interested in whether this climatic shift correlates with a dramatic population decline in human ancestors.

Scientific Process and Goals

The core was transported in freezing conditions, cut into one-meter sections, and distributed to institutions across Europe for analysis. Scientists hope to uncover patterns in greenhouse gas emissions and temperature changes from this period, which could help refine climate models for future projections. Professor Carlo Barbante, a lead researcher at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, highlighted to BBC News, the significance of handling ancient air samples and volcanic ash embedded in the ice, emphasising its potential to expand understanding of Earth’s climatic past.

The analysis of this ice core is expected to provide pivotal data, offering scientists a clearer picture of how historical climatic changes shaped the planet and influenced early human evolution.

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This Is Why This Supermassive Black Hole Flashed Twice Causing a Rare Event

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January 14, 2025

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This Is Why This Supermassive Black Hole Flashed Twice Causing a Rare Event

Astronomers recently observed a rare cosmic event where a supermassive black hole, located approximately 408 million light-years away, consumed one star from a binary system while the other narrowly escaped. This unusual phenomenon, known as a double-flash tidal disruption event (TDE), occurred in the galaxy WISEA J122045.05+493304.7. These powerful events, visible from billions of light-years away, typically involve a single flare, but the designated event ASASSN-22ci is notable for producing two flares, sparking interest in its origins and implications for black hole research.

A Unique Event Observed

According to a study published in the pre-print journal arXiv, ASASSN-22ci was first detected in February 2022, appearing as a typical TDE. However, a second flare was observed 720 days later, making it one of the few documented instances of repeated TDEs.

Researchers theorise this might have resulted from a process called Hills capture, where a supermassive black hole disrupts a binary star system. In such cases, one star is ejected at high velocity, while the other remains bound in an elongated orbit around the black hole, undergoing repeated tidal disruptions.

Investigating the Black Hole’s Activity

Data from ultraviolet and X-ray observations revealed the black hole responsible for ASASSN-22ci has an estimated mass of about three million times that of the sun. While the star involved in these flares likely has a mass similar to the Sun, it remains uncertain if it had a companion that escaped. Scientists believe the similarity between the two flares indicates that the same star might have been disrupted twice during its orbit.

Looking Ahead to 2026

Researchers predict a third flare could occur in early 2026 if the star survives another close encounter with the black hole. This anticipated event would provide astronomers with a rare opportunity to observe and study the earliest phases of a TDE in unprecedented detail, shedding light on the mechanics of black hole interactions with stars

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Satellite Images Reveal the Widespread Destruction of Los Angeles Fires from Space

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January 14, 2025

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Satellite Images Reveal the Widespread Destruction of Los Angeles Fires from Space

The ongoing wildfires in Southern California have caused extensive destruction, with over 34,000 acres burned and significant damage to homes, businesses, and infrastructure reported. At least 10 fatalities have been confirmed, and numerous individuals have been injured since the fires ignited earlier this week. The largest of these fires, the Palisades Fire, has ravaged nearly 20,000 acres, becoming the most destructive wildfire in Los Angeles history. Fire containment efforts are ongoing, with only a small percentage of the affected areas brought under control.

Massive Scale Captured by Satellite Images

According to satellite data provided by Maxar Technologies, the extent of damage caused by the fires has been captured in vivid detail. Infrared imaging has revealed active fire hotspots and burning buildings despite the dense smoke covering affected regions. The Palisades Fire has left vast portions of the Pacific Coast Highway and nearby Malibu neighbourhoods charred, with entire homes reduced to ash. A false-colour satellite image shared by Planet Labs highlights vegetation loss, with smoke plumes towering above the devastated areas.

Efforts to Protect Key Infrastructure

As reported by space.com, reports from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection have confirmed that the Eaton Fire, which scorched approximately 10,600 acres, reached the base of Mount Wilson. The area houses transmitters and antennas critical to communication systems and the historic Mount Wilson Observatory. Reports indicate that firefighters successfully prevented significant damage to the observatory and restored power to the facility.

Similarly, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), located at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains, was safeguarded by emergency responders. In a statement shared via social media, JPL Director Laurie Leshin acknowledged the bravery of firefighters who shielded the facility while expressing concern for over 150 JPL employees who lost their homes in the disaster.

Emergency services remain deployed across the region to contain the fires and support affected communities.

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