'I've dreamt of this moment since I was kid':
Sir Richard Branson, 70, receives his
astronaut wings after completing historic
space flight on Virgin Galactic rocket ship -
and beats billionaires Elon Musk and Jeff
Bezos in race to the stars
Daily Mail (UK),
by
Katie Feehan
&
Jack Wright &
Original Article
Posted By: Imright,
7/11/2021 5:53:23 PM
Sir Richard Branson today became the first billionaire in space, celebrating the 'experience of a lifetime' with his wife, children and grandchildren who greeted him on the tarmac after his Virgin Galactic spacecraft returned from a flight through the edge of the Earth's atmosphere.The 70-year-old British entrepreneur pumped his fists in the air as he stepped onto the runway in New Mexico before skipping towards his daughter Holly's twins Etta and Artie and scooping them up in his arms.Branson, who said he had dreamed about travelling to space since childhood, shared a group hug with the rest of his family including his wife Joan Templeman,
Yes but Musk will do it in style.
2 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
Axeman 7/11/2021 6:11:43 PM (No. 842623)
To the stars? Um yeah, sure. Like, intergalactic.
8 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
udanja99 7/11/2021 6:14:34 PM (No. 842626)
#2, you beat me to it. Branson barely made it beyond the atmosphere.
13 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
DVC 7/11/2021 6:22:52 PM (No. 842631)
Neat stuff, no doubt. But 'astronaut wings'?
I got some cool pilot wings from the pilot of our airliner when I was about 9 years old.......and they are just as "real" as Branson's.
14 people like this.
Enjoy it, Richard. Elon will beat you to Mars. May even beat NASA.
5 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
Dr. Constant 7/11/2021 6:40:07 PM (No. 842647)
You have to admire anyone who can overcome the UK tax system to become a billionaire.
16 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
Proud Texan 7/11/2021 6:40:39 PM (No. 842648)
Whoopee! He got a joy ride while Musk ships supplies to the space station and launches satellites. I am sure it was a neat trip though!
5 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
Dodge Boy 7/11/2021 7:00:07 PM (No. 842666)
Good work, Branson. Now let's see who has the nuts to go to Mars RT. Come on, Branson, Bozo, and Musk, I dare you to to try it. Who wants to go first?
6 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
GO3 7/11/2021 7:03:44 PM (No. 842671)
Yes, astronaut wings for civilians and the services save for one are awarded for 50+ miles. Army astronauts must complete at least one orbit to be awarded astronaut wings.
2 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
bad-hair 7/11/2021 7:06:31 PM (No. 842673)
Congrats Branson. Well done.
Now have a chat with Musk and Bezos about a joint venture. Tell Gates to go to hell .
7 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
WinterParker 7/11/2021 7:10:06 PM (No. 842678)
Capricorn One, ( https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077294/ ) seems to be more realistic. Why would any person want to pay BIG $ to view earth from space? I've seen the pics and it's beautiful, but the earth is the earth. Don't we all have a good idea of what 3rd rock from the sun looks like? If people want to pay Big $, great! Write the check and enjoy. I'd rather watch the live feed. Enjoy!
3 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
DeplorableVet 7/11/2021 8:10:19 PM (No. 842714)
No matter the technicalities, if you don't do at least one orbit, you haven't really been in space.
7 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
Omen55 7/11/2021 8:58:33 PM (No. 842735)
Well #1 Musk needs to do it in a carđ
2 people like this.
Reply 14 - Posted by:
MDConservative 7/11/2021 9:10:38 PM (No. 842752)
But the government should finance space travel. Or should it?
0 people like this.
Reply 15 - Posted by:
SkeezerMcGee 7/11/2021 9:26:05 PM (No. 842767)
280,000 feet = 53.03 miles.
3 people like this.
Reply 16 - Posted by:
Nimby 7/11/2021 9:27:25 PM (No. 842769)
If I had the money, I would do it too. Instead I am paying my tax dollars to take care of ILLEGALS
6 people like this.
Reply 17 - Posted by:
HisHandmaiden 7/12/2021 12:45:38 AM (No. 842844)
Maybe we watched different flights, but just the beauty of that launch vehicle caught my eye!
He kept his dream, thatâs a lesson in itself.
MAGA
6 people like this.
Reply 18 - Posted by:
GO3 7/12/2021 7:28:06 AM (No. 842954)
Well, #12, then Alan Shephard and Gus Grissom shouldn't have been awarded wings for their sub-orbital flights. If the standard is 50+ miles then stick to it and let's not get into rewriting the history books.
1 person likes this.
Reply 19 - Posted by:
RayLRiv 7/12/2021 9:36:37 AM (No. 843132)
I wouldn't mind adding a Commercial Space (astronaut) endorsement to my Instrument rating. I'm cool with a suborbital hop just like Branson did - even a low Earth orbit IF we had commercial space vehicles like the Pan Am space clipper seen in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. If I'm not mistaken there's an effort to launch high-altitude space-reaching balloons with pressurized gondolas for passengers. I'd do that one first cause it's probably the cheapest so far to reach space.
I think commercial space applications will really take off (pun intended) once we begin mining asteroids captured in space.
0 people like this.
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