Page 142 - Branson News Today

Moment. and everything is going to go great. it is also a validation to see richard branson who had dreamed of this for all of his life taking this flight today. its really exciting and a great validation of the best of the human spirit in terms of bravery and technological innovation. it is >> i want to just pop in to tom costello. he might be in front much a camera right now to tell us whats going on. we are seeing a great deal of activity at space port america at the galactic parliament of it...

Really special day, both when i was launching in space and launching rockets in my days before being an astronaut. we used to launch rockets off an airplane just like spaceship did today. all this excitement, all the thrill and the adrenaline is all coming back. its a fantastic day. >> i love to hear it. let me bring back nicholas schmittal as well. are you with me, still? >> im here. >> what do you think is going through bransons mind for him, as this billionaire, eccentric adventurer who has b...

The launch was scheduled for 9:00 a.m. eastern. it was delayed about 90 minutes because of some weather overnight in new mexico. virgins billionaire founder richard branson will be on board the spacecraft along with the crew. branson tweeted this new video this morning, apparently biking to galactic space port america. he tweeted, quote, its a beautiful day to go into space. the spacecraft is set to soar 55 miles above the new mexico desert to the very edge of space. lets take a quick look at ...

All right. leroy, youre up, first. you are a veteran of space travel. what will this type of experience be like for branson entering space for the first time? >> well, the very first time i flew into space, i looked back at the earth and was just awestruck. i mean, the colors are more bright and vivid than i imagine and then i saw the blue, the sunlight passing through our atmosphere cause it to glow these beautiful shades of blue that really dont get captured well on photographs. so he is in fo...

The words of some of the virgin galactic pilots, the somewhat more stable environment over blue origin where you get in, you push a button, you blast up and 11 minutes youre down. >> on the bezos front well see that on july 20th, so tune back in for that one later this month. bezos stepped down from amazon. he was ceo, now hes chairman, so hes giving up the ceo job. then branson comes along with this. are these guys just trying to leapfrog each other? >> i think today is a great example, brian, ...

Planet so its very difficult to project where these kind of things lead to, at the moment. but the fact that more people can be part of it, inevitably, is going to create something bigger. something more dynamic and something that we probably cant fully predict. >> so, leroy, what will you be looking for during tomorrows mission? >> well, ill be looking for a successful flight. i think they thoroughly tested their vehicle and so have confidence in it. and obviously, richard branson has confidenc...

Rocket and a an airplane theyre calling it a space plane. howie: theres so many unique things that makes it so fascinating, beyond what you described as the battle of the billionaires. we should point out even though theres been success with this particular spacecraft, this is not without rifnlgt you talked -- without risk. you talked about somebody putting their billions of dollars where their mouth is. this is not a routine thing yet. they had to feel ready to launch. nasa does not regulate th...

I remember, jake, back in 2005 in new york, branson showed up at a news conference. there were 70 cameras there. i counted them. all they did was lift the curtain and reveal a scale model of the craft you just saw flying. i thought, wow, this guy is good. he really doesnt have anything. yet he can really get the media talking about him. so bezos, i suspect, will be a much lower key deal. >> kristin fisher, you saw richard branson smiling, his family members running to hug him on the tarmac. what...

Captivating people. and spacex, you know, has been captivating people. just as, you know, elon musk was inspired by peter diamande and the x prize, just as richard branson was inspired by the apollo 11 landing, even going back decades earlier, peter deamandes was inspired by charles linde burg flying from new york to paris. there will be a continuation of inspiration that happens from this day forward. we see it happening and its thrilling. >> yeah, it is. and its going to be, its going to be so...

>> reporter: if tomorrows mission is successful, it could launch yet a new era of space travel and the final frontier could soon open to space tourism. so far hundred of people have signed up for flights some paying more than $200,000 each. branson hopes that some day will be soon. >> hopefully we can speed that process up for many, many others. >> and joining me now is renowned astro physicist neil degrasse tyson. hes author of the book "cosmic queries." neil, so great to have you here and we k...