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Richard Branson's Virgin Unite Launches Student Initiative in Space
The new Galactic Unite initiative encourages students to become space entrepreneurs. Next up for Branson? Exploring not just space, but the world's oceans.
Posted 4/ 6 11 at 4:30 PM | News, Leadership, Education, Travel, Inventions & Innovations
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Virgin Unite, the nonprofit arm of Richard Branson's Virgin Group, announced Wednesday the formation of Galactic Unite, which will be aimed at encouraging students to pursue careers in space exploration and aviation. Galactic Unite, a partnership with Branson's commercial spaceliner company Virgin Galactic, will be working with NASA's Student Launch Program, a competition in which middle school students design experiments using the environment of suborbital space to answer scientific and engineering questions. The winning experiments will be sent into space on rockets provided by the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium from Spaceport America in New Mexico.Additionally, Galactic Unite is overseeing a mentorship program in which Virgin American pilots and engineers are mentoring K-12 kids in Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay Area schools, in partnership with KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program), an organization that helps prepare students in underserved communities for success in college and life. Students in the KIPP program and NASA's Student Launch program will be attending the unveiling of Virgin America's new sustainable terminal at San Francisco International Airport on Wednesday. The launch will be commemorated with a series of inaugural flights that celebrate the evolution of travel. Students will get a "behind the wings" tour of the new terminal and meet the pilots from Virgin America and Galactic's WhiteKnightTwo.
"We need to show kids early what is exciting about science and technology. We need to make investments to connect students and teachers with the entrepreneurial activities of commercial space," George Whitesides, CEO and president of Virgin Galactic, said on Galactic Unite's website.
In timing with Virgin's new space initiatives, and keeping with Branson's mission of world travel and exploration, the CEO announced on Tuesday his plan to also take to the seas with Virgin Oceanic in a submarine unveiled in Newport Beach, Calif. Branson has teamed with Orange County businessman Chris Welsh, and within the next few months, Welsh will pilot the 18-foot submarine to the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench, the Los Angeles Times reported. Branson, a member of the AOL Small Business Board of Directors, said he also plans to take the submarine to the four other trenches of the world's oceans -- and believes many of the 250 potential astronaut customers of Virgin Galactic would also be interested in exploring the oceans with him as well.
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Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Branson is one of the most inspiring guys on the planet. Go Galactic!
Here Here Knellinger.
I was inspired greatly when Brandson did his around the world stunts, and low orbit. I have some of my own I would like to do one day. I'll invite Sir Richard Brandson to attend the launching's. I would have liked Virgin's investment group to join me. I think there is a future in starting a privately funded CA or TX based "New" NASA. Privately funded. Mining space once the ships and population issues are taken care of, it's going to be a great future and the bonus Knellinger, is planetary protection from asteroids. I like competition, So yes Knellinger; Go Galactic!
I hope Branson reads this article and especially my post.
I'm thinking he might be interested in a scalable multi megawatt magnetic-inertia powerplant.
it uses all existing technology, and has no environmental impact...and even PETA would be happy.
write ftp @ aol
Me too.
It's good to see that I'm not the only one who will be targeted by the EPA and this administration.
I also, design, build, and use water as a fuel source.
Yep, saltwater to a fuel, to live steam, electricity, and fresh water.
The bonus is minerals and salt.
Don't worry, we will win. For me, it's just a matter of funding.
Marketing will be nearly free and unstoppable when the time is right.
Production facility, materials, and a team...
I look forward to saving America from the this administrations non-action to America's oil shortage/high costs.
I designed a few years ago;
The International Space Station Shower Device (Environment Specific) and sent the basic information to NASA and Richard Brandson, they never replied to my letters.
I did it for a better way to get cleaned up in space.
Well, I have many other hobbies that are ... Yeah. I'm sure you do to.
If things keep going as planned by this administration, we will need all of our "gadgets" to get by on.
Good luck...
I remember writing a paper for my Space Technology Class in grad school. the subject was 'growing premature greens(sprouts) as a major food source in space.
Got an A in the class but NASA never looked at the idea...silly cause it works and is healthy too!
Chip Rohlke
President Shuttle Products Int'l
Melbourne Beach FL
I also set up the first company to promote Space Shuttle products like t-shirts, caps, etc.
Love to do the same thing for Branson....
Come in Richard..this is ground control....
Mini subs are one my other hobbies, designs to do specific tasks, twenty plus years. I have a team delivery mini sub that is remote controlled (green systems/multigenerational energy). Anyway, ocean exploration is something I would like to do full time. A portable ocean floor community is another hobbies to do wild fish husbandry to repopulate the world fisheries. My totally green energy programs will power all the systems, from living quarters to laboratory, and then all the transportation vessels, from the mini subs to the launch vessels on the surface. Ocean exploration is a big future for me and the planet some day. I just need funding to make a difference. Starting small and then going planetary... I have designed a fish aquarium for space. Grow fish schools in space to take on long journeys. The fish will thrive in artificial gravity, and to be sure they do well before the ship is started, put them in a pressurized system, simple. But, before all that is doable, we need to tap some of E.T.'s Anti-gravity systems. Running from the an Earth surface facility supplies to an Orbiting Ship and Equipment fabrication station. The lifting ships could be using Electrons and Positrons generators. Powering them, is also possible with my energy systems. So, does anybody know Richard's number? I mean, NASA is crippled by this administration or I would entertain a call from them. No worries, one day I'll build some prototypes and just maybe after I'm done collecting some Moon rocks or building my first home on the northern poll where the water is, I'll let everyone in on it. It's OK, no one would be truly interested anyway, after all, I use water as a fuel and I'm building a fuel less motor. Look, I see what this administration doing and is going to do to America, so, I invested in oil, yep, I will get my funding. OPEC is going upside down. This administration has no plan for that, "...necessarily skyrocket energy prices..." < a plan in action America.