The Final Frontier

Late last year, British billionaire Sir Richard Branson unveiled the world's first commercial spacecraft. Virgin Galactic's SpaceShip Two (SS2) is planning to begin passenger flights between 2011 and 2012, with 300 adventurers from around the world already signed up for the 2 1/2-hour journeys at $200,000 each. Designed as the most luxurious private jet in the world, the "mothership" will carry six passengers and two pilots to a height of 50,000 feet (15km)  before SS2 is released and launched to the edge of space. Virgin Galactic eventually hopes to reduce the ticket price to a more affordable level. Said Branson at the launch, "We hope to create thousands of astronauts over the next few years and bring alive their dream of seeing the majestic beauty of our planet from above, the stars in all their glory and the amazing sensation of weightlessness."