Congratulations to Branson and Virgin Galactic

Millions of people want to go to space, even if for only a few minutes, and even if there's some dispute about what constitutes "space."  Now four more humans have crossed that boundary, and they did it in a new way: in a private spaceplane.  

Richard Branson has been working almost 20 years on going to space. Virgin Galactic, recovering from an early-model crash that killed its pilot, has pressed on until the triumph of today's flight. Congratulations to all the engineers, machinists, technicians, pilots, and others who made it possible!

Granted, going to space via Virgin requires one cough up $250,000. Certainly I couldn't do that. But there are 46.8 million millionaires in the world, and no one has ever accused Branson of lacking in sales ability.  Jeff Bezos thinks the same thing, although he's also aiming at the orbital launch market, currently dominated by the traditional providers (Boing, Lockheed Martin, and their joint venture, United Launch Alliance)  and the amazingly successful upstart, SpaceX.  Bezos goes to space later this month: Elon Musk has no immediate plans.

A lot of criticism has been leveled at the billionaires racing to space, but some of it's misguided. Every dollar spent here pays employees, contractors, or subcontractors. And, let's face it, I'm an old-fashioned romantic. I want space opened to more people, even if that doesn't include me. I want better space technology (and the associated spinoffs) developed, and all the competitors contribute to see to that.  I want more people to see Earth from space, see the oneness. If that sounds like the view of a hopeless space nerd, then it is.

Onward and Upward! 

P.S. There is NO universally accepted definition of "space" or "astronaut" in international law. The boundary of space is not in the Outer Space Treaty. The U.S. Air Force has always awarded astronaut wings to those flying to altitudes over 50 miles. That's the line Virgin Galactic pilots and passengers crossed, and of course the line Branson and his company embrace.  At 100 kilometers (62 miles) is the von Karman line, where aerodynamics cease to apply.  That's the line Jeff Bezos embraces, and it's the closest thing to an international definition.  The lowest practical orbital altitude is about 200 km (125 miles), and no one argues that's NOT in space. So there we are.  

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