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VIRTUOSO LIFE Birth the of Spaceliner Birth of the Virgin Galactic, Spaceport America, and Scaled Composites bring astrotourism to reality. By Michael Behar CREDIT PHOTO 102 VIRTUOSO LIFE Birth of the Spaceliner Dawn of a new way: WhiteKnightTwo and its spaceship CREDIT at home in New Mexico. PHOTO JULY | AUGUST 2012 103 he view from the Upham Hills, secret site in nearby Roswell. Since then, aerospace has played an a lowly cluster of wind-scoured knolls pro- integral role in the state’s economy and identity, chiefly through truding about 500 feet from New Mexico’s projects at White Sands Missile Range, the largest U.S. military com- high desert, encompasses mostly hardscrab- plex, which abuts Spaceport America’s property. ble flats. Three years ago, had you looked Now, with the terminal in place, pavers finishing a 12,000-foot- t north a dozen miles, you’d have seen nothing – long runway, and 7,500 square miles of restricted airspace, the ranchland and perhaps a few roaming cattle. Today, however, a countdown is on: Sometime in the near future, Richard Branson’s humongous orb about the size of a Costco punctuates the bleak- Virgin Galactic will lift off from Spaceport America carrying six ness. What looks like an alien saucer is, in fact, Virgin Galactic’s passengers at a time aboard SpaceShipTwo, a rocket-powered aircraft new terminal and facilities at Spaceport America, the world’s first dreamed up by aerospace whiz Burt Rutan and the future-minded commercial spaceport. engineers at his company, Scaled Composites. It’s the culmination, some say, of New Mexico’s manifest des- A jet-powered mother ship, WhiteKnightTwo (also a Scaled Com- tiny, set forth in the 1930s when Robert Goddard, the preeminent posites creation), will ferry the spaceship to its 50,000-foot launch patriarch of rocketry, developed the first guided missiles at a altitude. There, SpaceShipTwo will uncouple from WhiteKnightTwo, 1. Air launch at 50,000 feet/9.47 miles: Release from mother ship and launch to Mach 4. , 360,000 2. 328 000 feet/62.12 miles: Virgin Galactic’s 350,000 Kármán line, where passengers become maximum planned altitude space travelers. 3. 361,000 feet/68.37 miles: 2 Kármán line: Virgin Galactic’s maximum planned altitude; Internationally 300,000 recognized boundary SpaceShipTwo feathers after rocket burn. of space 4. Atmospheric reentry in feathered position. 5. 70,000 feet/13.26 miles: 250,000 SpaceShipTwo defeathers into glider mode. 3 6. Glide home to Spaceport America. 200,000 150,000 Highest manned balloon flight 100,000 Concorde 50,000 Commercial airlines 1 PLAN FLIGHT 4 ALACTIC G 5 FEET: VIRGIN 6 104 VIRTUOSO LIFE ignite a rocket motor and accelerate The players (from left): to 2,500 miles per hour in a mere ten Aerospace engineer Burt Rutan, seconds. At nearly 70 miles up, hav- Virgin Galactic founder Richard ing exited Earth’s atmosphere, pas- Branson, and SpaceShipTwo in feathered descent. sengers will drift silently for about six minutes in weightless bliss before commencing the long, gentle glide back to Spaceport America. forays into the music industry, telecommunications, hospitality, “We intend to put 500 people into space during our first year,” and beyond, “Richard is very passionate about this one.” says Jonathan Firth, Virgin Galactic’s director of operations and When Scaled Composites test pilot Brian Binnie claimed the An- projects. “That’s about as many as have gone up in the entire 50 sari X Prize on October 4, 2004, Virgin Galactic got one giant step years of manned spaceflight.” The entire sequence – from liftoff closer to liftoff. Yet, along with redesigning the spaceship to accom- to landing – constitutes the first-ever reusable commercial sys- modate six passengers and two pilots – an tem for whisking astrotourists into space. It all sounds rather undertaking that would double its size sexy and adventurous, and at last count 520 cosmic pathfind- to 60 feet – Rutan’s crew faced a host of GO ers have put down deposits to reserve seats on SpaceShipTwo . issues, among them an intense shaking Virtuoso’s accredited Even so, there have been setbacks. Scheduled flights were orig- during reentry and a need to reduce the space agents are inally planned to begin a few years ago, but as Firth explains, spacecraft’s speed to eliminate high tem- the exclusive travel “Getting into space is hard, so it’s taken a bit longer than we peratures on the fuselage. The solution: a advisors for Virgin expected.” This is rocket science, after all. first-of-its-kind tail assembly that rotates Galactic in North upward during reentry to create drag and America. Ticketed Liftoff stability, modeled after badminton shut- passengers receive Virgin Galactic wouldn’t exist without two people: Richard Bran- tlecocks that invariably fall slowly and perks such as invites son, Virgin Group’s 61-year-old founder and chairman, and Scaled nose-first toward Earth. to Richard Branson’s Composites’ Burt Rutan, whom Branson describes as “the best Comfort touches include larger win- Necker Island and aviation genius in the world.” As a 19-year-old, Branson watched dows and foldaway seats that provide pas- Spaceport America Neil Armstrong walk on the moon and made up his mind “there sengers room to float around, along with and Virgin Group par- BOCCON-GIBOD, and then” to travel to space. He registered the trademark Virgin a posh interior cabin indicative of Virgin’s ties and events, plus Galactic in March of 1999, then set out on a world tour in search of style. On the technical side, Scaled Com- more leading up to THIERRY partners who could safely build and operate a reusable spaceliner. posites revamped the cockpit with sim- the inaugural flight. “I met with every zany and mad scientist I could find who was plified displays and control systems. “We Virgin Galactic flights BRANSON) interested in rockets and space technology,” Branson has said. wanted it to be easier to fly so we could use from $200,000. (RICHARD The search was a bust until he met Rutan, with whom he even- experienced airline pilots and not just test OBSERVATORY tually teamed up as a sponsor for Scaled Composites’ Ansari X pilots,” Firth explains. CENTER Prize-winning spaceship, later christened SpaceShipOne. In a As for the passengers those pilots will fly, Virgin tapped Virtuoso GREENBERG, CLAY joint partnership with Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen, Branson as its exclusive travel partner in the Americas and trained select ) MARK invested $14 million to license Rutan’s technology and another travel advisors as accredited space agents. When it came time to $95 million to build five passenger spaceliners over 15 years. “Of ensure the experience will be safe and comfortable for the typical RUTAN) SPACESHIPTWO all the businesses we’ve developed,” says Firth of Virgin Group’s luxury traveler, Virgin Galactic’s first 100 ticket holders (including (BURT ( 106 VIRTUOSO LIFE itineraries to Personalized service. Sophisticated ambiance. Over 135 years of global exploration. Explore the world with Holland America Line. Choose from a wide array of artful itineraries, each designed to showcase a destination at its inspire best. Step aboard your five-star ship complete with generous accommodations and travel effortlessly to new discoveries. Spacious, Elegant Ships Gracious, Award-Winning Service 14-day Circle Hawaii Worldwide Itineraries ms Zaandam Ocean-view from Extensive Activities and Enrichment Programs Oct 27, Nov 17, Dec 8, 2012; Sophisticated Five-Star Dining $1,799* Spacious, Elegant Ships Jan 26, Feb 16, Mar 9, Apr 18, 2013 Roundtrip San Diego Gracious, Award-Winning Service Worldwide Itineraries 11-Day Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam & Extensive Activities And Enrichment Programs Hong Kong Sophisticated Five-Star Dining ms Volendam Ocean-view from Dec. 10, 2012 $1,299* Singapore to Hong Kong 68-day Grand South America including the Amazon & Antarctica ms Prinsendam Ocean-view from Jan 5, 2013 $15,899* Roundtrip Ft. Lauderdale 64-Day Grand Mediterranean including North Africa & the Holy Land ms Prinsendam Ocean-view from Mar 14, 2013 $12,999* Roundtrip Ft. Lauderdale For reservations, please call your Virtuoso travel advisor *Sample fares are per person, cruise only, based on double occupancy in the minimum categories. Airfare is additional. Fares are in US dollars. Taxes are additional. Holland America Line reserves the right to re-instate the fuel supplement for all guests at up to $9 per person per day should the price of light sweet crude oil according to the NYMEX increase to over $70 per bar- rel. Fares based on Virtuoso group rates. Additional sailings and rates available. Amenities based on double occupancy and may vary per ship & sailing date. Offers are subject to availability and may be altered or withdrawn at any time without prior notice. Ships’ Registry: The Netherlands. 051712-VirtuosoLife-FullPg-Multi.indd 1 5/18/12 1:39 PM Back to the Future: Virgin Galactic thus Far January 2007: Virtuoso is announced as Virgin Galactic’s exclusive October 2004: travel partner in the Americas. SpaceShipOne claims the Ansari X Prize for two successful December 2007: flights to space in a week. December 2005: Branson and Virgin Galactic’s March 1999: Spaceport America first 100 ticket holders complete Richard Branson registers November 2004: announced as Virgin Galactic’s suborbital space training at the name Virgin Galactic. Virgin Galactic is born. world headquarters. NASTAR near Philadelphia. 1999 2004 2005 2007 Virtuoso CEO Matthew Upchurch, a Galac- person was 88 years old – and more than 95 year-round sunshine, a noncorrosive cli- tic Founder in the seat lottery for flights 2 percent did great.” mate, sparse population, restricted airspace, through 16) and accredited space agents at- and fuel savings from being 4,600 feet above tended suborbital spaceflight training at the Touchdown sea level, meaning roughly the first mile to National AeroSpace Training and Research While Virgin Galactic’s trajectory steadily space is free.
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