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Are you a huge fan of space travel? Let me guess: you head straight to the space travel section in the news without a second’s thought? If yes, that makes two of us. And this week brought us some very interesting new developments in our favorite area, didn’t it? Let’s recap all that went down this week.
This Week’s Space Travel News Headlines
Richard Branson Goes to Space
The British entrepreneur made history when he catapulted 50 miles above the earth’s surface aboard his Virgin Galactic spacecraft. He’s the first billionaire space geek to actually reach the edge of space. “I have dreamt of this moment since I was a kid, but honestly nothing can prepare you for the view of earth from space,” he said.
Richard Branson’s ultimate aim is to “pioneer the next generation of reusable space vehicles”, and in so doing, take people on a tour of space. Let’s wish him luck.
Blue Origin Gets a New Passenger
You must have heard that billionaire Jeff Bezos was gearing up for a historic “star trek” come July 20. And that a spare seat on his “New Shepard” spacecraft was available to anyone who will dare pay $28 million. Well, word on the street is, some unnamed person did foot the bill, but then called in to say they won’t make it.
So the seat became vacant again, but not for long. Because an 18-year old physics student named Oliver Daemen, has booked the seat. Bezos’ Blue Origin says Oliver will become the first “paying customer” to accompany their founder to space. Kudos to him.
China’s Mars Rover Takes New Images
Earlier on, we reported that China had sent a rover named Zhurong to Mars. Since then, the rover has been busy scouring the red planet for information. Two days ago, China’s space agency announced it had received a new set of images from Zhurong. The images were of the rover’s parachute and protective shell.
So far, Zhurong has covered 450 meters of land in a space of 60 Martian days. The entire mission is expected to last for 90 days. China hopes to leverage Zhurong’s information to send humans to Mars.
In Conclusion
If you missed any of this week’s best space travel news reports, well there you have it. Then again, more stories are coming in every day, so keep your eyes peeled. But before you go, which story was your favorite? Let me know!
