When you're Branson, space is just another market (article linked)

Space, the final frontier... or at least it is for several countries including the United States, China, Russia, Great Britain and most recently Richard Branson. You know the multi-billionaire founder of Virgin Records and all of it's ridiculous offspring. But, according to Reuters, Branson has pumped $450 mil into a fleet of six spaceships for commercial use. Now no one can really tell Branson what he can or can't spend his immense fortune on, but there has to something more beneficial to this world than that.

Don't get me wrong though, when I first read the article the little (actually huge) Star Wars nerd in me had a slight hyperventilation episode. But upon further reading, 200 grand for a 2 1/2 hour trip and the ever important 5 minutes of weightlessness seems a bit costly in this financially tight time. The only way I can really see this being a financially successful endeavor is if costs were cut drastically on the consumer side, and if it was used in a commercially successful market. The article does state that in the future, this type of travel could be used to cut down flight times in international flights.

Why couldn't this be the first use of this idea? It would be a strong boost to the economic situation, and given the current state of the airline industry, a spark that would hopefully reignite the industry. Also, the venture into the private sector that has already been established would probably be the best kind of proving ground for this new type of market.

Still, I hope this works out on all fronts and within the next twenty or so years we can be zipping around the galaxy, with my Wookiee companion by my side.