News Canadian Boy Set To Become Youngest Space Traveller

[Mantis]

An unidentified 17 year old boy from Calgary, Alberta, Canada has paid his deposit to reserve his spot on board a Virgin Galactic spaceflight. He is the only person currently on the list who is under 18 years of age which puts him ahead of any others who now wish to put down a deposit. He actually paid his deposit when he was 16 and intends to fly as soon as possible after his 18th birthday (Virgin will not fly anyone under 18). Presently the record for the youngest person is space is held by Russian cosmonaut Gherman Titov who flew in August 1961 at the age of 25.

Assuming Virgin Galactic is making flights within a year, this young man could venture into space at only 18 years of age.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/...-to-become-youngest-ever-space-traveller?bn=1

 

[iamwearingpants]

I want to be a millionaire, because then I could ride in a cool spacecraft. I wonder how Joy would like that :hmm:

Oh well. I guess I'll have to start selling those PVC waterguns. (with cool paint jobs)
I'll advertise them as "All stuff, no bluff!"

I might actually go through with that! :rofl:

 

[Star Voyager]

I would like to actually go through the USAF flying something to build up my skills as a pilot, then got to the USAF Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB to become an even better pilot, then apply to NASA or another space-faring company to fly as a qualified crewmember, not a passenger. But that's me, a 17 year old American student pilot in high school with an opinion. Kudos to this kid for blazing a half-hour trail for us young bloods, though.

 

[Columbia42]

I too would rather be a pilot than a passenger but seeing as I'm planning to go into the Aerospace Engineering field I doubt I'll be either.

 

[Ark]

I guess his parents have quite a lot of money.

 

[Columbia42]

The Virgin Galactic suborbital flights are 200,000 USD so they wouldn't necessarily have to be millionaires or anything.

 

[Ark]

The Virgin Galactic suborbital flights are 200,000 USD so they wouldn't necessarily have to be millionaires or anything.

You have to be a multimillionaire to even begin to think about spending $200,000 on that. Nobody is going to be taking out a second mortgage on their house so their kid can be weightless for five minutes.

 

[Artlav]

You have to be a multimillionaire to even begin to think about spending $200,000 on that.

Or just win a lottery.

 

[RichWall]

I am happy for this 17s dreams and pissed for other reasons.

Pissed Pissed Pissed. So I'll mope on my own.

So, life success and getting into space depends more on family success than my intellect, desire or other migamaroe.

 

[Mantis]

I am happy for this 17s dreams and pissed for other reasons.

Pissed Pissed Pissed. So I'll mope on my own.

So, life success and getting into space depends more on family success than my intellect, desire or other migamaroe.

That's kind of how I felt about Scaled Composites winning the X-Prize. To me, them spending $20 Million from a corporate sugar-daddy to win a $10 million prize was against the spirit of the competition. It all came down to money rather than dedication or vision.

 

[jedidia]

As things look currently, the only thing able to get us into space on a regular basis is a corporate sugar-daddy with a big vision (or a slight mental illness...), so I don't feel pissed at all.

Someone with lots of money to spend without having to get it back within a few years or even within his lifetime.

 

[Jarvitä]

Scaled Composites have really been picking up on SS2 test flights and engine tests, they just might take the first suborbital flight this year.

http://scaled.com/projects/spaceshiptwo_test_summaries