Sir Richard Branson Gets His Wings
 

Virgin Galactic owner launched today and got up to 53 miles. The FAA sez 50 miles up and you're an astronaut. Pretty cool stuff!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/techn...-live-updates/

I'm kinda underwhelmed, particularly after all the hype on TV this morning. Sixty year ago, the X-15 flew to an altitude of ~60 miles and Alan Shephard did a similar sub-orbital flight . IMO, you haven't really accomplished much until you succeed in orbital flight. Branson's real achievement is that he privately financed something that government did 60 years ago with public financing.

It's a vanity project and a competition for a couple of guys (Branson and Bezos) who have more money than God and IMO would do more good by following the the example of Bill & Melinda Gates or Bezos' former wife, MacKenzie (Bezos) Scott. This is nothing but a dick-measuring contest for a couple of mega-rich geeks who probably still read comic books.

While that's true I don't really consider a few minutes of weightlessness truly space flight. When you go up to the higher standard of "outer space" and circle the globe 2 or 3 times I might be more impressed. After all it's not like they achieved warp speed or anything. I do wonder tho' if anyone peered out a window and saw something "unidentified" ;)

Missed it, knew of it, cared little.....

Nice that a private citizen was behind the feat.
Maybe this and spacex venture will increase the people's interest in funding more explorations.

You would think with china and india moving forward is enough. Should be a moon base by now with a U.S.A. flag on it!