By: Dana Trumpower
People have dreamed about being among the stars since the dawn of time. In 1961, man rocketed into space for the first time. Soon it might be possible for average citizens to make a voyage to outer space, too.
Virgin Galactic, a branch of the British Virgin Group capital conglomerate, recently piloted SpaceShip Two in order to become the “Spaceline for Earth,” making everyone eligible to experience the weightless feeling of being in space. Regular airplanes fly seven miles above Earth’s surface; however, SpaceShipTwo will fly sixty-five miles high, well over NASA’s definition of outer space.
The project was scheduled to finish by this year, but now is on track for a 2016 release. This delay is largely due to SpaceShip Two’s recent crash in the Mojave Desert on November 1st. The pilot was able to parachute to safety, but his co-pilot did not survive. The National Transportation Safety Board, as well as Virgin Galactic itself, cannot figure out what caused this tragedy. Until now, the Federal Aviation Administration has not overregulated the commercial space industry, but that will change before long.
Commercial space travel, SpaceShipTwo in particular, needs to be thoroughly tested before anyone can jump on board. Nevertheless, 700 people have already booked seats in anticipation, including Justin Bieber and Ashton Kutcher. These seats run for about $250,000 each, a tad expensive for the everyday traveler.
Though space tourism seems like a futuristic impossibility, it is shooting over the horizon at the speed of light.
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