Page 137 - Branson News Today

>> what a life. that was sir richard branson as he went where no billionaire has gone before, traveling to the edge of space aboard virgin galactics unity spacecraft and there on your screen, you can see the passenger plane detaching from the mother ship and then rocketing to the final frontier with branson and his crew along for the ride. the team reached zero gravity for just a short period and then made a safe return to earth roughly an hour after takeoff. >> heres cnns kristen fisher on this...

Its a moment that gives you goosebumps. we as reporters have moments that we put in the memory book forever that we hold onto for the rest of our lives. this is one of them for me. >> and my kids are watching, your kitds are watching, and ths will one day be normal. rachel, the notion of a space plane, a spaceport, all this language. this is going to become common language probably sooner rather than later. is that fair to say? >> reporter: thats right. i also want to point out, you talked about...

That is very different than orbiting around the earth. you have to go four times as fast than you do to go straight up and straight down, but that takes 16 times as much energy. its a much harder problem, and that is a different proposition. what bezos and branson are doing, its kind of the same, but dont tell them i said that. >> christian fisher, let me go back to you. tell us more about what were about to witness. >> reporter: i tell you, this certainly feels like a richard branson event. hes...

Audio, ill take that. for now, there he is, celebrating. it was fan fair and it should -- fan fare and it should be. was there a doubt about the billionaire race to space or is any spotlight on space a good thing. >> its a good thing were talking more about space and its in peoples consciousness. it becomes part of their lives, part of their futures. today you can take a vacation to an antarctica. i think within 20 years you can take a vacation to space at the same price point. its going to be d...

His team a safe and successful flight. bransons mission starts in a bit more than five hours from now. the billionaire will take off in a space plane built by his company, virgin galactic. if he is successful, branson will beat bezos, who plans to soar into space in his blue origin rocket by nine days. cnns rachel crane talked to the soon to be space traveler about his out-of-this-world event and the risk involved. >> reporter: the countdown is on. and in just hours, entrepreneur richard branson...

Summer, so when bezos said he was planning his in nine days, branson quickly planned this one. you might say, so what, its just a gold-plated bungee jump, but this is a time to bring attention to the world of space and the way you open up a new economy and a new realm is by doing a lot. the rich seem to be first, and as time goes on, hopefully the price will go down and more will go. only 55 people have been to space. thats not enough. >> garrett, let me ask you, do you think this is opening up ...

That the passengers on board will in fact become passengers. were less than two minutes away from this incredible release, so we are all incredibly excited here on the ground. its important to remember that these are not a public flight. those will not start until 2022. this is a test flight. richard bransons job is to test the experience. hes actually taken notes during the training. im sure hes trying to absorb what he can on this flight but also taking notes for what he wants the passenger ex...

Creating such a beautiful, beautiful plane. ive been working with virgin galactic for 17 years and im so glad we got this far. >> richard branson on board the vss unity, branson with the other passengers. as they now glide back to earth, what a beautiful morning in new mexico. kristin, youre near truth and consequences. that town was named in the 19 1950s as a pr stunt by a radio station. i cant help but think this is a giant pr stunt and its also amazing to countless millions around the world. ...

Near space, up to 50,000 feet or whatever, into nearspace, iam up to 50,000 feet or whatever, into near space, i am thinking, let someone else do it and prove it works first. laughter. let�*s be sensible. i couldn�*t imagine it, it is sci—fi, and incredible thing, maybe this is the beginning of something that will change the way we live our scientific lives in terms of exploration and such. a bit of me, one day, i wouldn�*t mind going to the moon but not yet. you one day, i wouldnt mind ...

Images of richard and the mission specialists on the ground. we saw pilot dave mckay hugging dave moses, the safety specialist on board. here at spaceport america, as we pointed out, there is a lot of vips in the audience. notably, elon musk is in attendance here at spaceport america to witness branson take this historic flight. thats of note, because people have often pegged branson, musk, bezos all against one another. but musks appearance here at spaceport america highlights also that, yes, t...