Page 24 - Space Craft News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Diane pachter. just people that have deep interest in spaceflight and are trying to do something really remarkable. >> yes, so how do they train for something like this? they're not astronauts. >> no, they're not. what's really interested is that jared tyson is really taken charge of how they're going to do their training. now, they have met with spacex over the last several months. learning about their space craft. it's a capsule that is used to launch astronauts to the international space station on its own flights. but they've also done a lot of other exercises and team building, physical t...

It is fragile and it is, you know, kind of driving home that p point that we know theoretically we have to be careful with the earth's atmosphere, but it really makes it powerful and real. >> reporter: does this harden your commitment to space exploration? >> all right. fascinating conversation there. let's bring in particle physicist don lincoln. he's also the author of the book "alien universe, extra terrestrial life in our minds and in the cosmos." don, i don't think i have ever spoken with a particle physicist so it is a first for me. it is an honor to have you on the show. when you watc...

Aviation pioneer, wally funk, at 82 funk will become the oldest person in space. >> that was the best day that ever happened to me. >> reporter: it is a lifelong dream for funk who was part of mercury 13, the women-only space group whose space flight was cancelled back in 1961. >> release, release, release. >> tuesday's launch follows another dream fulfilled. >> to all you kids down there, i was once a kid with a dream looking up to the stars. >> reporter: one week ago virgin galactic's richard bran son became the first person to ride his own rocket out of earth's atmosphere. >> we wish jeff t...

Direct kpeter >> while bases pos's flight will be after branson. his will go higher past the karman line, the altitude internationally recognized to be the demarcation in space. his company blue origin taking a shot at branson's trip, tweeting their rocket was designed to fly above the karman line. none of ours have a asterisk after their name. >> if you fly 52 miles. 62 miles you're in space. you don't notice the difference in the distances. any touch space and come back down. >> both companies have had successful flights over the past decade. but with space travel comes inherent risk. in 201...

Launches like a traditional rocket. but the virgin galactic space craft as we saw in the video, it launches from underneath an airplane when it reaches a certain altitude. why the two different methods? what are the risks an benefits of each one? >> so the white knight two on virgin galactic is taking off like a plain. you have a vehicle underneath it launched when it gets to 50,000 feet and the engines from the space ship launch and get you to thigher altitude, which will give you -- it is sub orbital so it is going less than 17,500 miles per hour so you get to space. the benefits of one or t...