Branson reveals frequent-flyer space plan

Last Update: Tuesday, December 6, 2005. 8:47pm

Branson reveals frequent-flyer space plan


Virgin Airlines is to offer frequent-flyer "Space Miles" that passengers can put towards flights in space with the company's soon to be launched Virgin Galactic.

Richard Branson says customers who collect two million points will be entitled to be among the first commercial astronauts when his space plan takes off in two years.

"There are already 30 people in the world who have collected enough air miles to fly into space," Mr Branson said.

...

The rockets are based on the SpaceShipOne of designer Burt Rutan, which won the $US10 million "X Prize" for sending a privately designed craft into space twice in two weeks.

The first flights are scheduled for 2008 and will cost $US200,000 ($A265,400).

The program has so far cost the Virgin Group $US250 million to develop but Mr Branson says 40,000 people have already signed up to be the first paying passengers in space.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200512/s1525177.htm

The progressive rich folks can pave the way with capital and risk -- using their money and position for what they are best intended.

As for ranting about how that money could go to feeding the poor, you can save it for now. Look at Mark Shuttleworth. He was a "space tourist" himself. He was also a major backer of anti-Apartheid activism, active in education and poverty-remediation worldwide, and began the Ubuntu Linux distro as a way to pump money into the free computing movement.

There are more where Shuttleworth came from. Richard Branson is probably among their number.

--p!

It sounds like an awesome B-Movie.