OT: Virgin Galactic

[gdw]

What kind of watch was he wearing or does the craft have a clock?

[Ciavete]

Dude Sir Branson arrived to the spaceport on a bike! I think it was a Trek? Shouldn't it have been a bespoke UK builder, like a Hartley? Or a vintage Ron Cooper? What's up that Sir Richard?!?!

[wallymann]

Originally Posted by wallymann

the virgin galactic team has indeed done a fair bit of innovation getting to this point -- props to the engineers, but today was just a publicity stunt.

...and props to branson for bankrolling the entire virgin galactic endeavour.

[bthornt]

This flight provides a new way to think about Branson's wealth. The maximum altitude achieved by this flight was 55 miles.

Stacking 100 single dollar bills results in a pile 0.43 inches high (according to the internet). So, a stack of one billion dollar bills gives a pile 4,300,000 inches high, which is 358,333.3 feet, or 67.9 miles.

Richard Branson's wealth is estimated to be 6 billion dollars (according to the internet). So, his wealth stacked as single dollar bills would result in a pile 407 miles high.

So, this flight would have made it over 13.5% of his wealth stacked as 1 dollar bills.

By the way, Bezos' wealth is estimated to be about 212 billion dollars (according to the internet).

[dancinkozmo]

...i wish all these billionaires going to space would just do us all a favour and stay there

[reuben]

Originally Posted by 54ny77

Does it come with a Rapha spacesuit?

Now THAT'S funny!!!

[mcteague]

Originally Posted by dancinkozmo

...i wish all these billionaires going to space would just do us all a favour and stay there

The first plane and airship flights were only for the wealthy. Same here it would seem. Give it time.

Tim

[marciero]

Originally Posted by bthornt

The maximum altitude achieved by this flight was 55 miles.

Not exactly "space", though that is not well- defined.

[wallymann]

Originally Posted by marciero

Not exactly "space", though that is not well- defined.

The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), an international standard-setting and record-keeping body for aeronautics and astronautics, defines the Kármán line as the altitude of 100 kilometres (54 nautical miles; 62 miles; 330,000 feet) above Earth's mean sea level.

NASA, the US Space Force, US Air Force and Federal Aviation Administration define the boundary as 50 miles (80 km) above sea level.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%A1rm%C3%A1n_line

[prototoast]

Originally Posted by bicycletricycle

That is exactly what I was thinking, unless you are being sarcastic, are you being sarcastic?

It's probably good for society if space flight is more accessible, with more suppliers, so this, at a minimum, an indicator that things are moving in a good direction.

Also, high-skilled civil servants should be paid more.

[marciero]

Originally Posted by wallymann

The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), an international standard-setting and record-keeping body for aeronautics and astronautics, defines the Kármán line as the altitude of 100 kilometres (54 nautical miles; 62 miles; 330,000 feet) above Earth's mean sea level.

NASA, the US Space Force, US Air Force and Federal Aviation Administration define the boundary as 50 miles (80 km) above sea level.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%A1rm%C3%A1n_line

As I said, not well-defined.

[steveoz]

So did he say if it's flat or round?

[54ny77]

Spaceship must been British: the engine stopped working, they had to coast back to earth.

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by wallymann

The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), an international standard-setting and record-keeping body for aeronautics and astronautics, defines the Kármán line as the altitude of 100 kilometres (54 nautical miles; 62 miles; 330,000 feet) above Earth's mean sea level.

NASA, the US Space Force, US Air Force and Federal Aviation Administration define the boundary as 50 miles (80 km) above sea level.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%A1rm%C3%A1n_line

That's a definition of the edge of the atmosphere. But in another sense, no human being has ever truly left Earth, since no one has ever left Earth's gravity well (i.e, no human has reached Earth escape velocity). Sending people to Mars is going to be huge, massive leap compared to anything that's been done before.

[gemship]

Awesome achievement considering and I wonder how it contributed to the already massive carbon footprint mankind is making? I sure wish these billionaires could do something to reverse global warming instead of piling onto it.