TOW
04-28-2007, 05:50 AM
Have you ever dreamt of flying to space? Virgin Galactic might make your dream come true; all it takes is $200,000 to book a ticket for 2 hours flight that will take you into outer space for a few minutes.
If money is not a problem Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic, the first ever commercial airline to fly in outer space, will make you feel like an astronaut for 2 and half hours.
This is how Virgin Galactic explains the flight experience. The spaceship hitches a ride up to around 50,000 feet attached to a specially designed carrier aircraft, ‘the mother ship’. Once at 50,000 feet, the spaceship is released from the mother ship and ignites its hybrid rocket.
The spaceship then begins a climb from 50,000 feet to over 360,000 feet. This climb takes about 90 seconds and will reach a speed of just over 3 times the speed of sound. Shortly before the apogee (maximum altitude) of its flight path, the spaceship feathers (folds its wings) in preparation for re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere drawn by the Earth’s gravitational pull.
As the spaceship meets the resistance of the upper atmosphere, the feathered wings act as air brakes, safely positioning and decelerating the spaceship allowing for a carefree re-entry into the earths atmosphere. At approximately 60,000 feet, the spaceship’s wings are re-configured into their original position allowing for an unpowered (glide) landing back at the spaceport.
Virgin Galactic expects most of the flight to be “unbelted” and the period of weightlessness particularly so, while the 6 passengers will enjoy breath taking views of our planet observing the earth Over 1000 miles in any direction out of many large windows positioned strategically all round the craft.
Virgin Galactic’s space flights will initially operate from the Mojave Spaceport but will later operate its space flights from the world’s first purpose built commercial spaceport, “Spaceport America” in New Mexico. The first commercial flight is scheduled to launch sometime in 2009, after an extensive schedule of test flights will be successfully completed.
Online gambling site BetUS.com (Visit Web site here (http://www.betus.com/online-sports-betting/ats/10590.html)) posted odds on when the first commercial space flight will take place. If you don't have the $200,000 that will buy your ticket to space or you have them but think the idea is just too crazy to be worth that kind of money you may consider placing a bet or two on the Virgin Galactic odds and make good cash by guessing the right launch date.
BetUS.com analysts believe that Virgin Galactic will make their first commercial space flight on time: Odds on the first flight between May and August 2009 are currently sitting at +275, September and December 2009 sit at +300. The January/April 2009 window appears to have fewer chances, its current odds sitting at +400.
Bettors who think that the first flight will be delayed to 2010 may take the chance to make some good cash: Odds for a launch between May and August 2010 are currently sitting at +800. Visit BetUS.com (http://www.betus.com/online-sports-betting/ats/10590.html) to view the complete set of odds on Virgin Galactic's first commercial space flight.
If money is not a problem Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic, the first ever commercial airline to fly in outer space, will make you feel like an astronaut for 2 and half hours.
This is how Virgin Galactic explains the flight experience. The spaceship hitches a ride up to around 50,000 feet attached to a specially designed carrier aircraft, ‘the mother ship’. Once at 50,000 feet, the spaceship is released from the mother ship and ignites its hybrid rocket.
The spaceship then begins a climb from 50,000 feet to over 360,000 feet. This climb takes about 90 seconds and will reach a speed of just over 3 times the speed of sound. Shortly before the apogee (maximum altitude) of its flight path, the spaceship feathers (folds its wings) in preparation for re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere drawn by the Earth’s gravitational pull.
As the spaceship meets the resistance of the upper atmosphere, the feathered wings act as air brakes, safely positioning and decelerating the spaceship allowing for a carefree re-entry into the earths atmosphere. At approximately 60,000 feet, the spaceship’s wings are re-configured into their original position allowing for an unpowered (glide) landing back at the spaceport.
Virgin Galactic expects most of the flight to be “unbelted” and the period of weightlessness particularly so, while the 6 passengers will enjoy breath taking views of our planet observing the earth Over 1000 miles in any direction out of many large windows positioned strategically all round the craft.
Virgin Galactic’s space flights will initially operate from the Mojave Spaceport but will later operate its space flights from the world’s first purpose built commercial spaceport, “Spaceport America” in New Mexico. The first commercial flight is scheduled to launch sometime in 2009, after an extensive schedule of test flights will be successfully completed.
Online gambling site BetUS.com (Visit Web site here (http://www.betus.com/online-sports-betting/ats/10590.html)) posted odds on when the first commercial space flight will take place. If you don't have the $200,000 that will buy your ticket to space or you have them but think the idea is just too crazy to be worth that kind of money you may consider placing a bet or two on the Virgin Galactic odds and make good cash by guessing the right launch date.
BetUS.com analysts believe that Virgin Galactic will make their first commercial space flight on time: Odds on the first flight between May and August 2009 are currently sitting at +275, September and December 2009 sit at +300. The January/April 2009 window appears to have fewer chances, its current odds sitting at +400.
Bettors who think that the first flight will be delayed to 2010 may take the chance to make some good cash: Odds for a launch between May and August 2010 are currently sitting at +800. Visit BetUS.com (http://www.betus.com/online-sports-betting/ats/10590.html) to view the complete set of odds on Virgin Galactic's first commercial space flight.