Progress at Virgin Galactic?
Posted in Uncategorized on January 21st, 2012 by admin
In case you’ve been living in a rock for the last four years Richard Branson has been changing the world of space travel with his company Virgin Galactic.
Based in Las Cruces New Mexico, Virgin Galactic has given average people the opportunity to take a sub-orbital flight over the earth and get a taste of what space travel is all about.
Costs
Tickets for a Virgin Galactic flight are not cheap by any means; one ticket costs $200,000 and requires a $20,000 deposit. For this price the ticket holder will be treated to a flight that will last almost four hours and give passengers the opportunity to experience six minutes of weightlessness.
Sub-orbital flights are nothing new to astronauts and pilots who have been pushing the boundaries of earth’s gravity for decades. For those people who can afford the high ticket price they will finally be able to stop dreaming about what it would be like to be an astronaut and actually live out their fantasy for a few hours.
Advancements in Technology
Thanks to the innovative leadership of Richard Branson commercial space travel is quickly becoming a reality. What once seemed like a dream that was left in the hands of governments like the United States, Russia and China is now quickly gaining momentum and Virgin Galactic now has five commercial space ships ready to take to the skies.
Besides leading the advancement in commercial space travel, Virgin Galactic is also collaborating with U.S. space agency NASA and signed a memorandum of understanding which laid the framework for future projects in the years to come.
What’s next for Virgin Galactic?
Richard Branson has never been known as a man to stay in one place. Once Virgin Galactic commences regular commercial space flights many people speculate that his next stop will be the moon. Branson has been repeatedly quoted over the years as saying that he hopes to build hotels on the moon and many people who grew up watching TV shows like Star Trek will most likely be eager to book reservations.


Doesn’t a super nice holiday vacation sound nice after a long hectic year?

This telescope is
Who doesn’t love smelling the awesome aroma of candles while sitting in a chair scoping out the stars?
Who doesn’t love to look at the stars and study what is really going on up there in space? Where are all these cool things coming from?





It seems like trying to compose any kind brief history would be a futile and frustrating effort. Our interest in the stars and in understanding the universe and our place within it has been ongoing. There are references to it throughout recorded history all around the world. There is no culture that has not had an interest in the heavens and what goes on there and no culture that has not contributed its discoveries to the wealth of knowledge that we have amassed over the years.
All you really need when it comes to getting started with astronomy are a few books and your own enthusiasm. Like many other scientific hobbies, is has a low entry threshold for beginners who want to make their own observations—and that it a good thing. It allows you to get out and indulge your interest in the universe with no more handicaps than even the great astronomers of history had. Of course, you will absolutely find that an instrument such as a telescope or even a pair of binoculars can help you see clearer, but that kind of technology is not entirely necessary in the beginning unless you want it to be.
Astronomy remains a popular science due to the fact that it offers itself freely to any and all observers who want to take part. Anyone can look at the sky and marvel at what they see. All it takes is eyes to see with and a sky to see. Naked eye astronomy is the most authentic form of this ancient science and it connects you with everyone who was ever interested in the movements of the universe—from the great minds to alien spaceship hunters.
The most important tool that you have as an amateur astronomer is your vision. Professionals use sophisticated methods that go far beyond vision to make and record their observations of the universe, but you have neither the access nor the training to use these devices. Like the ancient astronomers, you must rely on what nature has given you to aid you in your quest to understand the universe. You do have a few tricks up your sleeve however.
The fact of the matter is that while naked eye astronomy is romantic and exciting, there are still many unique and fascinating features of our universe that are only visible to our human eyes with the aid of a telescope. Mastering the use of the telescope in order to see the rings of Saturn, the craters on the moon or even the three stars of Ursa Major is just as romantic and exciting as finding Betelgeuse or the Milky Way with your naked eye. It is a way to go deeper and observe even more about the mysteries of the sky.