Virgin Galactic dedicated the runway at their Space Port today bringing space tourism a bit closer. Beardie Branson reckons the first commercial flights could be under way in less than 18 months and 380 people have paid $200,000 to be on the waiting list.
http://www.virgingalactic.com/news/
But a note of caution from The Material World on R4 this evening. Because of the type of fuel spaceships use they generate a huge amount of soot compared to commercial airliners. The other problem is that the soot will be deposited in the upper part of the atmosphere where there is no rain so it won't be washed to earth in the same way that emmisions from jets are. The expert interviewed claimed the soot cloud would most likely sit above the northern Atlantic raising the temperature above the cloud by 1 degree and lowering it by the same amount below it.
So there you have it, space tourism not only pointless but also likely to destroy the world more quickly. Well done Beardie, another winner. S'pose you gave us Tubular Bells though...
http://www.virgingalactic.com/news/
But a note of caution from The Material World on R4 this evening. Because of the type of fuel spaceships use they generate a huge amount of soot compared to commercial airliners. The other problem is that the soot will be deposited in the upper part of the atmosphere where there is no rain so it won't be washed to earth in the same way that emmisions from jets are. The expert interviewed claimed the soot cloud would most likely sit above the northern Atlantic raising the temperature above the cloud by 1 degree and lowering it by the same amount below it.
So there you have it, space tourism not only pointless but also likely to destroy the world more quickly. Well done Beardie, another winner. S'pose you gave us Tubular Bells though...