Virgin Galactic
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Virgin Galactic
Dear all!
I am one of those pilots who has always wanted to become an astronaut...
I know, it is not that easy...but I do am a dreamer and I believe that it might be possible!
Is there anyone who could give me more info about the training of the 'Virgin Galactic astronauts' or about the recruitment process? Maybe there're some Virgin Atlantic pilots who could give me more info?
Or is there anyone who has already applied?
Many thanks in advance!
gekko
I am one of those pilots who has always wanted to become an astronaut...
I know, it is not that easy...but I do am a dreamer and I believe that it might be possible!Is there anyone who could give me more info about the training of the 'Virgin Galactic astronauts' or about the recruitment process? Maybe there're some Virgin Atlantic pilots who could give me more info?
Or is there anyone who has already applied?
Many thanks in advance!
gekko
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Yes, it is possible.
This is the copy of a press release earlier this year:
Scroggs
This is the copy of a press release earlier this year:
Three Virgin Atlantic pilots have already been handpicked on the basis of their experience and skills. Steve Johnson, currently a training Captain with Virgin Atlantic and an ex-Red Arrows pilot, will become the chief astronaut pilot for Virgin Galactic, having overall responsibility for the pilot astronaut workforce.
The pilots will receive nine months of aerobatic, fast jet and executive aircraft for zero gravity flights training. They will then spend the next nine months flying the mothership and participating in Mission Control work - the last nine months will be spent flying Virgin Galactic Spaceships into space. Once they have completed their 27 month secondment they will return to Virgin Atlantic as qualified pilot astronauts.
From 2008 Virgin Galactic expects to have around 30 astronaut pilots recruited from all of the Virgin airlines round the world. 50% of the astronaut pilots will be recruited from NASA and Virgin America with the remaining 50% being recruited from other Virgin airlines including Virgin Atlantic from which three pilots will be seconded. Virgin Galactic also plans to recruit some of its pilots from Virgin Nigeria, Virgin Blue and Virgin Express. In December Virgin Atlantic launched the first frequent flyer programme reward where Flying Club members could earn miles to get themselves to space.
Virgin Galactic is a company established by Richard Branson's Virgin Group to undertake the challenge of developing space tourism for everybody. It will own and operate privately built spaceships, modeled on the history-making SpaceShipOne craft. These spaceships will allow affordable sub-orbital space tourism for the first time in our history. Every customer of Virgin Galactic will be helping the development of a new generation of space craft.
The pilots will receive nine months of aerobatic, fast jet and executive aircraft for zero gravity flights training. They will then spend the next nine months flying the mothership and participating in Mission Control work - the last nine months will be spent flying Virgin Galactic Spaceships into space. Once they have completed their 27 month secondment they will return to Virgin Atlantic as qualified pilot astronauts.
From 2008 Virgin Galactic expects to have around 30 astronaut pilots recruited from all of the Virgin airlines round the world. 50% of the astronaut pilots will be recruited from NASA and Virgin America with the remaining 50% being recruited from other Virgin airlines including Virgin Atlantic from which three pilots will be seconded. Virgin Galactic also plans to recruit some of its pilots from Virgin Nigeria, Virgin Blue and Virgin Express. In December Virgin Atlantic launched the first frequent flyer programme reward where Flying Club members could earn miles to get themselves to space.
Virgin Galactic is a company established by Richard Branson's Virgin Group to undertake the challenge of developing space tourism for everybody. It will own and operate privately built spaceships, modeled on the history-making SpaceShipOne craft. These spaceships will allow affordable sub-orbital space tourism for the first time in our history. Every customer of Virgin Galactic will be helping the development of a new generation of space craft.
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Will there be staff travel for virgin pilots on virgin galactic, lol, that would save you guys 200 000...
But I guess that without a military background it s hard to be picked for the Astronaut position.
An other question: is it easier to enroll virgin atlantic if you come from an other airline from their group, say virgin express for example?
Do they have some kind of agreements?
Winch
But I guess that without a military background it s hard to be picked for the Astronaut position.
An other question: is it easier to enroll virgin atlantic if you come from an other airline from their group, say virgin express for example?
Do they have some kind of agreements?
Winch
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Originally Posted by jammydonut
I thought Alex Tai was going to be head honcho so he said
Originally Posted by BitMoreRightRudder
So when do you start your zero G training Scroggs?
Originally Posted by winch launch
An other question: is it easier to enroll virgin atlantic if you come from an other airline from their group, say virgin express for example?
Do they have some kind of agreements?
Do they have some kind of agreements?
Scroggs
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What on earth makes you say that Tone the Wone?
Space travel will in the medium term (say the next 100 years) be essential for our survival. We are rapidly running out of resources such as precious metals and certain organics, all of which are readily available in huge quantities on other planets and asteroids. The only way we will ever get to them is by developing commercial space travel. Seeing as governments are only capable of looking to the next election, it will be the private sector that will take the risks although once the system is up and running the governments will be only too glad to tax it.
You might also consider the possibility of collision with a lump of flying rock which could end all life on earth, with no space tracking network we would never see it comming, and with no launch capability there would be no chance of deflecting its course. Eventually the sun is going to turn into a red giant and cook every planet in the solar system. With no space travel, that will be sayonara for the human race. There are some fundamentalist greenies who may be tempted to say good riddance to all of us nasty polluting humans, but every other species, plant and animal, is for the chop as well.
Try and look at the bright side Tone unless you are one of the druid types who demands all progress be stopped and/or reversed. If the majority thought that way we would never have come down from the trees in the first place.
Space travel will in the medium term (say the next 100 years) be essential for our survival. We are rapidly running out of resources such as precious metals and certain organics, all of which are readily available in huge quantities on other planets and asteroids. The only way we will ever get to them is by developing commercial space travel. Seeing as governments are only capable of looking to the next election, it will be the private sector that will take the risks although once the system is up and running the governments will be only too glad to tax it.
You might also consider the possibility of collision with a lump of flying rock which could end all life on earth, with no space tracking network we would never see it comming, and with no launch capability there would be no chance of deflecting its course. Eventually the sun is going to turn into a red giant and cook every planet in the solar system. With no space travel, that will be sayonara for the human race. There are some fundamentalist greenies who may be tempted to say good riddance to all of us nasty polluting humans, but every other species, plant and animal, is for the chop as well.
Try and look at the bright side Tone unless you are one of the druid types who demands all progress be stopped and/or reversed. If the majority thought that way we would never have come down from the trees in the first place.
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I think Teamax is one of those who never likes anything that comes out of Virgin.
People have been appointed, press release issued and money being spent and you call it a publicity stunt?
I say Go Virgin Galactic, Go!!!!
People have been appointed, press release issued and money being spent and you call it a publicity stunt?
I say Go Virgin Galactic, Go!!!!
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Originally Posted by ToneTheWone
It will be a sad day for the planet if this project ever gets off the ground
However, unless you explain your objections, it's difficult to discuss the issue with you - and this isn't the right forum to do it.
Teamax is, judging from his posting history, a bmi employee who rather dislikes Virgin. Fair enough; it would be a great surprise if Virgin hadn't pee'd off a few people in its rise to its current position in the world.
Scroggs
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Scroggs I don’t think it is too difficult to work out the meaning of ‘a sad day for the planet if this project ever gets off the ground’. Just consider the amount of energy required and the pollution created just to give a very few select few people the opportunity of a joyride. I just think with today's concerns about global warming etc. it is in my opinion that such a project is irresponsible. Don’t get me wrong, as a young lad I was thrilled by the moon landing. A very costly exorcise in terms of money and resources but there were many beneficial spin-offs from it. The world was a very different place then to what it is now and I have to ask myself what are the benefits of today's space shuttle flights? Back in the 60’s the whole world was transfixed by the Apollo flights and today nobody takes any notice of the space shuttle unless it blows up.
And before anybody jumps down my throat about being a tree hugger, I’ve either had or got most of the boy’s toys. It’s just that I’m aware of the environmental harm I inflict and yes I am in some senses an hipoctite.
Northern Boy. Yes the earth is running out of resources very quickly but space travel has got a long way to go before it’s our saviour. With the nearest star 5 light years away, a suitable planet to earth with a suitable sun close by is anybody's guess. As under present thinking it’s not possible to travel at the speed of light it would take god knows how long to get who knows where? I don’t foresee it being a commercial venture - would you invest in something that would not pay a dividend until way after your death?
And before anybody jumps down my throat about being a tree hugger, I’ve either had or got most of the boy’s toys. It’s just that I’m aware of the environmental harm I inflict and yes I am in some senses an hipoctite.
Northern Boy. Yes the earth is running out of resources very quickly but space travel has got a long way to go before it’s our saviour. With the nearest star 5 light years away, a suitable planet to earth with a suitable sun close by is anybody's guess. As under present thinking it’s not possible to travel at the speed of light it would take god knows how long to get who knows where? I don’t foresee it being a commercial venture - would you invest in something that would not pay a dividend until way after your death?
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Tonethewone,
I was thinking of things a bit closer to home, namely the asteroids which are between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, both of which have had visits from probes. There are untold billions of tons of resources out there and eventually the price of metals and the like will rise to the point where recovering them becomes economically viable, just as rising oil prices make the recovery of Atlantic, Artic or Canadian shale oil viable. Unless humanity wishes to return to the middle ages, which most people certainly do not, these will have to be exploited.
The private sector will be driving this, with profit as the motive, tourist jaunts are simply a way of amortizing the costs. Once large capacity vehicles are developed, they will be used as trucks not busses for the elite. So what if wealthy individuals want to see space?, once not so long ago only the wealthy could afford to travel by air. Their money helped to develop the industry which today keeps us in employment, could we have our present world without air transport? would we wish to return to a time when only the rich could afford to travel? tree huggers apart, the answer from the majority would be a resounding no. I expect that within 100 years space travel for commercial purposes will be as commonplace as air freight is today. As for investing in projects that will not come to fruition before ones death, we do it all the time, its called having children.
Come on mate, have a little faith, sod the doom mongers and enjoy.
NB
I was thinking of things a bit closer to home, namely the asteroids which are between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, both of which have had visits from probes. There are untold billions of tons of resources out there and eventually the price of metals and the like will rise to the point where recovering them becomes economically viable, just as rising oil prices make the recovery of Atlantic, Artic or Canadian shale oil viable. Unless humanity wishes to return to the middle ages, which most people certainly do not, these will have to be exploited.
The private sector will be driving this, with profit as the motive, tourist jaunts are simply a way of amortizing the costs. Once large capacity vehicles are developed, they will be used as trucks not busses for the elite. So what if wealthy individuals want to see space?, once not so long ago only the wealthy could afford to travel by air. Their money helped to develop the industry which today keeps us in employment, could we have our present world without air transport? would we wish to return to a time when only the rich could afford to travel? tree huggers apart, the answer from the majority would be a resounding no. I expect that within 100 years space travel for commercial purposes will be as commonplace as air freight is today. As for investing in projects that will not come to fruition before ones death, we do it all the time, its called having children.
Come on mate, have a little faith, sod the doom mongers and enjoy.
NB
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Yes Northern Boy you do have some good points but call me a doom and gloom merchant but I think the situation is more serious than we appreciate. With 6 billion on this planet and rising rapidly, things are going to get worse and fast. Out of the 6 billion people on earth a small privaliged percentage (i.e. you and me) have done quite some damage to the planet. What happens when everybody whats to enjoy the cheap airtravel, private cars etc? And who can blame them for wanting what we in the rich west presently enjoy!
My opinion is that we are enjoying quite some party on earth at present. Yes enjoy it while it lasts but it can't last for ever. You talk about the next 100 years but what about the next 1000. I don't know the answer but I have some of the questions
Happy days indeed
My opinion is that we are enjoying quite some party on earth at present. Yes enjoy it while it lasts but it can't last for ever. You talk about the next 100 years but what about the next 1000. I don't know the answer but I have some of the questions
Happy days indeed
Originally Posted by ToneTheWone
My opinion is that we are enjoying quite some party on earth at present. Yes enjoy it while it lasts but it can't last for ever. You talk about the next 100 years but what about the next 1000. I don't know the answer but I have some of the questions
I reckon ToneTheWone may be a fully paid up member of the Flat Earth Society.
You are rightly worried about energy usage but the rocket motors for this craft use recycled car tyres for fuel.
What Rutan and Virgin are achieving might make NASA think about what can be achieved without enormous organisations and budgets. Think of this as a stepping stone to greater things.