Want to take an out-of-this-world trip? Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic plans to make that possible. Beginning in 2009, people should have the opportunity to become space tourists, traveling at about 3,000 mph to heights about 75 miles above Earth. Branson has high hopes for his latest plans. "It is just the start of what we believe will be a new age in the history of mankind—one day making the affordable exploration of space by human beings a real possibility," he said.
At the start, though, the trip won’t be cheap. Seats aboard Virgin’s first craft—VSS Enterprise—will cost about $200,000. Prices could drop after the first hundred space flights. Despite the current ticket cost, more than 30,000 people—including celebrities(名人) Sigourney Weaver and Victoria Principal—have expressed interest in getting onboard.
People who don't have an extra $200,000 still have a chance to get a seat aboard the craft. A computer game contest and a reality television show are in the works. Those who can’t afford a ticket will have an opportunity to win a seat.
Virgin is expected to be the first commercial spacecraft. It will hold six passengers and two pilots. Passengers will be able to see the Earth from many different viewpoints. The cabin will include 15 floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing for views that extend about 1,000 miles in any direction.
Passengers will have three days of preflight preparation. On the big day, the spacecraft will take off from the Mojave Spaceport in the California desert. The craft will rocket passengers into space at four times the speed of sound. The journey will last about 2 1/2 hours. Passengers will wear spacesuits and helmets(头盔). They will be able to float around the cabin and do somersaults(空翻) during the five minutes of weightlessness they will experience in zero gravity. At the end of the flight, the craft will land on a runway.
小题1:Virgin Galactic could be _____.
A．the engineer of the first commercial spacecraft
B．the name of a series of spacecrafts
C．the company of the first commercial spacecraft
D．a passenger aboard the first commercial spacecraft小题2:The space passengers will do all the following except that _____.
A．they will receive a three-day training course
B．they will wear spacesuits and helmets
C．they will take about $200,000 with them
D．they will experience weightlessness 小题3:Which statement is true according to the passage?
A．More than 30,000 people have got to travel in spacecraft.
B．Many people signed up for space travel in spite of the high ticket cost.
C．Those without much money could also go space travel without occupying the seats.
D．The first commercial spacecraft will have six persons on board.小题4:What is the text mainly about?
A．The exciting moment of the spacecraft’s launching.
B．The living condition of space tourists in the craft.
C．Preparations for a space travel.
D．Plans for the first commercial space flight.
