Virgin Galactic is staking claim to a new, greener way to journey through space on their SpaceShipTwo out of Spaceport America; starting in 2009, passengers can orbit in the ship for two and a half hours while creating a carbon footprint less than that of a flight from NYC to London.
This “footprint” is further [...]

Virgin Galactic is staking claim to a new, greener way to journey through space on their SpaceShipTwo out of Spaceport America; starting in 2009, passengers can orbit in the ship for two and a half hours while creating a carbon footprint less than that of a flight from NYC to London.

This “footprint” is further decreased by the fact that the headquarters’ plans, Spaceport America, are structured to create as little eco-impact as possible; equipped with large windows, solar panels and ventilation systems. A ticket aboard the ship is expected to cost around $200,000. By 2011, Virgin Galactic expects to be launching two flights a day.

While no official figures for carbon emissions are available for SpaceShipTwo just yet, NASA’s emissions equate to to roughly 5 tons per month. In addition, the operation of Kennedy Space Center makes for a monthly carbon footprint over 900 times that given off by the shuttle’s solid rocket boosters in one launch, with 23 tons of harmful matter from each liftoff and nearly 13 tons of hydrochloric acid that exterminate fish and plants within half a mile of the site.

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