[extropy-chat] Slashdot submission: SpaceShipThree to be Orbital Spacecraft

[Neil H.]

(I haven't actually submitted the story yet, so feedback is welcome)

Without html:

The president of space tourism company Virgin Galactic has recently
stated that if the upcoming suborbital service with SpaceShipTwo is
successful, the follow-up SpaceShipThree will be an orbital craft.
Although orbital spaceflights would be much longer and could
potentially dock with orbital space stations, they are also
considerably more difficult than suborbital spaceflights. Other
private firms working on orbital spaceflight (and potentially in the
running for Robert Bigelow's $50 million orbital America's Space
Prize) include t/Space and former PayPal CEO Elon Musk's SpaceX.

With html:

The president of space tourism company Virgin Galactic has <a
href=http://www.flightinternational.com/Articles/2005/08/23/Navigation/200/201097/SpaceShipThree+poised+to+follow+if+SS2+succeeds.html>recently
stated</a> that if the upcoming suborbital service with <a
href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scaled_Composites_SpaceShipTwo>SpaceShipTwo</a>
is successful, the follow-up SpaceShipThree will be an orbital craft.
Although orbital spaceflights would be much longer and could
potentially dock with  <a
href=http://www.popsci.com/popsci/aviation/article/0,20967,1027551,00.html>orbital
space stations</a>, they are also considerably more difficult than
suborbital spaceflights. Other private firms working on orbital
spaceflight (and potentially in the running for Robert Bigelow's $50
million orbital America's Space Prize) include <a
href=http://www.wired.com/news/space/0,2697,68528,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_1>t/Space</a>
and former PayPal CEO Elon Musk's <a
href=http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/050812_spacex_island.html>SpaceX</a>.