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The unveiling of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo
and White Knight Two in the past week brought the world’s attention back to the
potential of space tourism. One of the first places where the public will be
able to discover more about the possibilities will be at EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh, “The World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration,” coming July
28-August 3 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh.
Virgin Galactic confirmed that they will host a
significant exhibit at EAA AirVenture 2008, located adjacent to the event’s
AeroShell Square showcase area. That exhibit will include the large, detailed
models unveiled during the Virgin Galactic’s announcement earlier this month,
as well as several presentations by the Virgin Galactic team. The display
builds on the excitement of civilian space travel that Virgin Galactic first
announced during SpaceShipOne’s visit to Oshkosh in 2005.
“The excitement when the SpaceShipTwo and
White Knight Two designs were made public was electric,” said Adam Smith, EAA’s
vice president of membership services, who attended the Jan. 23 news conference
in New York where Sir Richard Branson and designer Burt Rutan unveiled the new
spacecraft concepts. “It’s thrilling to know that EAA AirVenture has played
a part in the timeline that led us to this new horizon of space travel, and
equally thrilling to know that Virgin Galactic will be back at Oshkosh this
summer to tell even more of the story.”
Rutan had originally designed the first White
Knight and SpaceShipOne to win the $10 million Ansari X Prize in 2004. As Rutan’s
group successfully pursued that goal, they also began discussions with Sir
Richard Branson about the next step: Making sub-orbital space travel a
possibility for many more people through a space-tourism business. At EAA
AirVenture 2005, as SpaceShipOne was displayed for the aviation world, Virgin
Galactic announced its intentions to create the next generation of the
spacecraft to begin regular spaceflights.
More details of Virgin Galactic’s presence at
EAA AirVenture 2008 will be announced as they are confirmed. Meanwhile, further
information regarding SpaceShipTwo and White Knight Two are available through the
EAA website (www.eaa.org).
“We are very much looking forward to welcoming
back Virgin Galactic to EAA AirVenture this year,” Smith said. “Oshkosh is
known as the place where aviation innovation is showcased. Given the tremendous
popularity of Burt Rutan’s designs at Oshkosh over the past 35 years and the
‘buzz’ that SpaceShipOne created here in 2005, there’s little doubt that
there will be eager enthusiasm on the grounds for Virgin Galactic’s newest
developments this year.”
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