Virgin Galactic reveals inside of spaceship that will carry tourists off the Earth
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Virgin Galactic has revealed the inside of the spacecraft that will be used to carry its tourists off the Earth.
During a live reveal, it showed the interior of its first SpaceShipTwo vehicle, known as VSS Unity.
The company said that the craft had been designed by looking at other disciplines, "from aircraft cabins [...] to fitness classes".
It includes a host of features intended to ensure that tourists are safe and comfortable as they take their trips into space, including special seats that can manage the force that people are subject to. It has also been built specifically to allow for easy movement in weightlessness as passengers are carried out of the usual pull of Earth's gravity.
The interior also uses technology more aligned with traditional flights, such as seat back screens that show live flight data and lights that alter as the craft moves through different phases of the flight.
Tourists will also be able to look at Earth through 12 cabin windows, and the interior will also include 16 cameras intended to capture images.
Those can be used to gather everything from the "first Instagram posts" to neatly edited videos of the whole journey, Virgin Galactic said, indicating that the 600 "Future Astronauts" who are already signed up to take journeys on the spacecraft had stressed the importance of having their trips documented.
Passengers will also be able to look at a large mirror towards the back of the plane, which will allow people to see themselves experiencing weightlessness.
Virgin Galactic already revealed the spacesuits – created in collaboration with Under Armour – that those passengers will wear as they head into space.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments