Virgin
Galactic founder Sir Richard Branson, right, celebrates the naming of
mothership aircraft White Knight Two "Eve" after his mother Eve
Branson, left, at Scaled Composites hangar in Mojave, Calif., Monday, July 28,
2008.
WhiteKnightTwo
is designed to carry the smaller SpaceShipTwo under its 140-foot (42-meter)
wing, releasing the six-passenger, two-pilot craft around 48,000 feet.
SpaceShipTwo would then carry its human cargo some 65 miles (104 km) above
Earth. The unveiling of the flying launch pad represents the first phase
of Virgin Galactic's test program to establish its private spaceliner business.
More
than 250 customers have paid $200,000 or put down a deposit for the chance to
be one of Virgin Galactic's first space tourists. A date for the first launch
has yet to be announced.
— AP and SPACE.com Staff
Credit: AP
Photo/Stefano Paltera
