richard branson – DesignApplause

virgin hyperloop sets a new speed record.

Dec 20, 2017

the ability to maintain a vacuum in the tube, especially one hundreds of miles long, is one of the steepest challenges facing the hyperloop. every time a pod arrives at a station, it has to decelerate and stop.

two days after hyperloop-one sets a new speed record(*) of 240 mile per hour record company announces it has raised $50 million and richard branson is coming aboard as chairman.

the test took place at its development track in the nevada desert, north of las vegas. a 28-foot-long pod does this inside a 1,600-foot-long concrete test tube where air pressure is reduced to 200,000 feet above sea level. what’s new is magnetic levitation where the pod hovers above the test track to reduce friction.

the ability to maintain a vacuum in the tube, especially one hundreds of miles long, is one of the steepest challenges facing the hyperloop. every time a pod arrives at a station, it has to decelerate and stop. then the airlock will have to close, pressurize, and open again. then the pod has to clear the airlock before the next pod arrives. the speed in which this occurs will determine the distance between pods.

musk pitched an idea in 2013 for a massive vacuum tube that could whisk passengers in pressurized cabins from new york to los angeles in 45 minutes. he’s getting closer. musk is also working on a tunnel digging concept with the boring company. richard branson also runs spacex both musk and branson working together, innovative electric cars, space travel, and transportation, is scary in a very good way. fingers crossed.

video courtesy of virgin

(*) not sure in what category. my benchmark is craig breedlove going 555.485 miles per hour in 1965 driving spirt of america.

Richard branson explains why he cut beef from his diet.

Jul 17, 2014

richard branson explains why he cut beef from his diet. meat consumption today contributes to global warming and environmental degradation. via ecorazzi [RK]

Solar impulse. First leg from san francisco to phoenix completed.

May 6, 2013

click > enlarge

Solar Impulse, the solar airplane of Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg, successfully launched the “Clean Generation” initiative by completing the first leg of the 2013 Across America mission – the first crossing of the United States by a solar-powered airplane capable of flying day and night. Along with the pilots, 14,212 people have virtually travelled from California to Arizona in the cockpit via a streamed feed.

bertrand piccard in the cockpit

[ flight report: san francisco > phoenix ]
Pilot: Bertrand Piccard, Initiator and Chairman
Take-off time: May 3rd 2013 06:12 AM PDT (UTC-7)
Time of landing: May 4th 2013 00:30 AM MST (UTC-7)
Flight duration: 18h18 min
Average ground speed: 65,5 km/h (40,6 m/h)
Highest altitude reached: 6’400 m (21’000feet)
Average altitude: 3’050 m (10’000 feet)
Flight Distance: 1203 km (~650 NM)

[ mission-at-a-glance ]
May 3rd 2013: First leg San Francisco/Moffett Airfield – Phoenix/Sky Harbor
Mid May 2013: Second leg Phoenix/Sky Harbor – Dallas/Fort Worth
End May – Early June 2013: Third leg Dallas/Fort Worth – St. Louis/Lambert Airport
Mid June 2013: Fourth leg St. Louis/Lambert Airport – Washington DC/Dulles
Early July 2013: Fifth and last leg Washington DC/Dulles – New York/JFK

A number of events will be organized during the Phoenix stopover including visits open to the public on Sunday May 5th and Tuesday May 7th. Because the solar airplane will be in a secured airport zone, the spaces available will be limited in accordance with airport security rules. People have to [ register in advance ].

andre borschberg and bertrand piccard with the “clean generation” flag after landing at sky harbor

[ original release – edited ]
On May 3rd Solar Impulse, the Swiss solar powered airplane, will depart from San Francisco with Bertrand Piccard in the single seater cockpit, to complete the first leg of its coast-to-coast flights across the USA: first stop will be Phoenix (AZ). It is the first time that a solar airplane capable of flying day and night without fuel, will attempt to fly across America. This journey is also the occasion to launch an initiative called “Clean Generation” to gather worldwide support for the adoption of clean technologies.

Flying Coast to Coast across the United States has always been a mythical endeavor in aviation history. Achieving this in a solar airplane capable of flying day and night without fuel, shows the enormous potential of clean technologies in terms of energy efficiency and renewable energy use. With this adventure, Solar Impulse wants to inspire and motivate as many people as possible to embrace the pioneering spirit that allowed this revolutionary solar-powered airplane to become a reality.

This is why thousands of people, amongst which James Cameron, Buzz Aldrin, Al Gore, Richard Branson, Elie Wiesel and Erik Lindbergh, are supporting the “Clean Generation” Initiative to encourage governments, businesses and decision-makers to push for the adoption of clean technologies and sustainable energy solutions. Concretely, The names of all those who will join this movement of pioneers will be carried in the cockpit of the airplane as virtual passengers. At every stopover city along the way, more and more names will be added onto the list.

All those interested in being part of this movement of influencers can [ sign up here ].

Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg will alternately pilot the solar airplane to complete the challenge of flying without a drop of fuel across the USA from the West to the East Coasts. The first leg of the flight leading to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (AZ) will be completed by Bertrand Piccard. André Borschberg will fly for the last leg culminating in New York at JF Kennedy Airport.

The Solar Impulse Across America flight mission is made in partnership with Solvay, Schindler, Bayer Material Science, Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, Sunpower and the Swiss Confederation.

The flight will be streamed live. Track the America mission flights, via computer or mobile device.

[ solar impulse ]
Swiss pioneers Dr Bertrand Piccard (Chairman) and André Borschberg (CEO) are the founders, pilots and the driving force behind Solar Impulse, the first airplane that can fly day and night without fuel. Solar Impulse is a unique adventure that aims to bring emotions back at the heart of scientific exploration, a flying laboratory to find innovative technological solutions for today’s challenges and a vision to inspire each of us to be pioneers in our everyday lives.

This revolutionary carbon fibre airplane has the wingspan of a Boeing 747 (63.4m / 208 ft) and the weight of a small car (1,600kg / 3,527 lb). It is the result of seven years of intense work, calculations, simulations and tests by a team of about 80 people and 100 partners and advisors. A plane so big and light has never been built before. The 12,000 solar cells built into the wing provide four 10HP electric motors with renewable energy. By day the solar cells recharge the 400kg / 881 lb lithium batteries which allow the plane to fly at night.

Science the final frontier.

Jan 12, 2012

spaceship two

Throughout my career I have always been a strong believer in the power of humankind to use innovation to help solve the world’s challenges. Today, many of the greatest areas of innovation are driven by scientific research and development. In a time of deep uncertainty and upheaval, we can be certain that our collective brain power and imaginations are helping us get closer to solving big problems and making big discoveries — like slowing down climate change, finding and adopting new sources of renewable energy, traveling great distances safely and quickly without harming the environment, and exploring the depths of space and the ocean.

But it isn’t easy to keep that focus today when the world is facing so many challenges. Many economies are struggling, the divide between rich and poor is widening and we face the ongoing threat of climate change. There is so much to fix — so why bother investing in something like Virgin Galactic, our company that is aiming to revolutionize space travel.

spaceship one

spaceport america

Continued exploration of space and the development of related technologies are essential to humanity’s survival. Satellites that monitor changing weather patterns and their impact can help us responsibly overcome problems caused by climate change and overpopulation. Space-based navigation underpins our world economy, while space-based satellite links enable global communications, particularly in times of crisis. Someday, we will be able to use space to transport people and things from one side of the planet to another in about an hour — cleanly, safely, and affordably.

Most industries have undergone tremendous changes in the last 50 years to help them adapt to the modern world; but not so in space travel. Each shuttle launch cost around $1 billion. Even launching a 400-pound satellite (the size of a washing machine) costs at least $30 million. For a private individual to travel to space, the cost can be upwards of $60 million. This, along with safety, reliability, frequency and environmental impact, is limiting our ability to access space for commercial purposes.

spaceship two

Despite the obstacles, Virgin Galactic and a small group of fellow space ventures are pressing on with a new space age. Elon Musk, chief executive and chief technology officer of Space X, is developing a new ground-based rocket capable of revolutionizing the economics of shuttling to the International Space Station. Paul Allen recently announced , a partnership with Burt Rutan and our partner Scaled Composites to build the largest-ever aviation vehicle to air-launch rockets into space.

The private space revolution is gathering pace. In the first years of operation, Virgin Galactic, which has already signed up nearly 500 customers, aims to take more people up to space than have been there in the first 50 years of space travel. Those visionary individuals’ early commitment will help us develop future technologies that will soon be applied to quicker and more environmentally sound ways of sending payload to space and eventually those transcontinental tickets.

spaceship one

Every day we experience both the risk and responsibility of investing in science — and while the rewards are in the long term, some happen before our very eyes. In April, we invited students of KIPP (knowledge is power program) schools to join Virgin America as it celebrated its new terminal in San Francisco. Watching the children’s awed reactions as the new Virgin Galactic space vehicles soared in the air above the San Francisco bay reminded us how important it is to include our youth in our work — to show them that space travel is possible in their lifetimes and that they can and should take part. We are inspiring a new generation of young people to pursue careers and educations in science, engineering, technology and math. Essential skills to help solve the problems of the future.
Space travel isn’t just the stuff of science fiction or something that might happen in the distant future. Space tourism may seem like an excuse for joy rides for the rich, but in reality it’s the start of a new and vital private sector industry that will help develop safer, cheaper and cleaner space travel and result in technology that will lead to broader innovation and discovery. To do all of this, we need more people active in science and more discussion around the work being done. There’s room for everyone to get involved — and to reach for the stars!

feel the freedon of zero g

Throughout my career I have always been a strong believer in the power of humankind to use innovation to help solve the world’s challenges. Today, many of the greatest areas of innovation are driven by scientific research and development. In a time of deep uncertainty and upheaval, we can be… 

~richard branson founder virgin group