2008 Is Year Of Spaceship, Pigs Fly

Today, the millionaire founder of the Virgin brand, Richard Branson, announced to the world:

“2008 really will be the Year of the Spaceship.“

 

 

 

But before he made any further comments on space travel, Branson commented on climate change, saying that aviation had been blamed for climate change for too long, and that “seemingly benign” industries had overtaken aviation – pointing the finger squarely at the IT industry.

More info and ideas after the jump>

Branson also noted that he believes that “the fact that this system will have the capability to launch small payloads and satellites at low cost is hugely important.”

But even the $200, 000 initial ticket price has not deterred approximately 65, 000 people from registering as potential astronauts.

According to the press release, Virgin has future plans to “tour” spaceflights to locations across the globe, including UK, Sweden and Australia, from the most likely to be Mojave in California, USA. Operations will then headquarter and fly from the purpose built Spaceport America in New Mexico, USA.

However, one of the things that Branson highlighted – that I believe was most important – was Stephen Hawking’s proclamation that humans had no option but to get away from space as fast as possible. This is a statement that I can wholeheartedly agree with. Climate change, unstable economies, and war are all factors that are putting the human race at risk, and if we don’t move soon, we may not have the option.

What are your thoughs on this? I would love to hear what you have to say on the issues of climate change, space travel, and other related issues – hit the comments below to have your say, or head over to Virgin Galactic to learn more or make a booking.

Graham