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All about "Eve": Virgin Galactic mothership unveiled.
Boing Boing — ... ) gathered for the launch of Virgin Galactic's twin-hulled mothership, "Eve," named after Sir Richard's own mom -- who formally christened WhiteKnightTwo with the pop of a champagne bottle. Branson explained that the spaceliner was also named "Eve" because she was conceived as an historic first for humankind. ...

BBtv: Virgin Galactic and WhiteKnightTwo with Buzz, Branson, and Rutan
Boing Boing — Today on Boing Boing tv, Xeni is joined by astronaut and American hero Buzz Aldrin, Virgin Galactic founder Sir Richard Branson, Scaled Composites founder Burt Rutan, and other space luminaries for an exploration of private space travel -- the technology, the science, and the human experience. We fly to the Mojave spaceport to witness the unveiling of WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft that will carry SpaceShipTwo and passengers on Virgin Galactic suborbital space flights. Link to Boing Boing tv blog post ...

One Giant Leap For Virgin Galactic
New Mobilities: Ce-more about what's happening in the mobile world — Wired's Autopia blog looks at Virgin Galactic's plan to make commercial space travel a reality: Richard Branson calls it "one of the most beautiful and extraordinary aviation vehicles ever developed." And while this may be a little on the loquacious side, there's no doubt that today's unveiling of Virgin Galactic's WhiteKnightTwo in the Mojave desert is big news. ...

Boing Boing tv year in review: Galactic Super Funtime
Boing Boing — (Flash embed above, and here's a downloadable MP4.) Happy Lazy-Time on Boing Boing tv! We're slowing down for the holidays, and taking a few weeks to gloat over all the fun stuff we produced together in 2008. Come join us in the seasonal gloating! Right here, under the genetically engineered mistletoe, by the warmth of burning fuel cells. Today's installment: Remember when we flew out to the Mojave Spaceport to hang out with astronaut and American hero Buzz Aldrin, Virgin Galactic (and Virgin ...

Buzz Aldrin: Engineer, Rapper, Heart-Breaking Realist
Boing Boing Gadgets — "That's not going to happen." In just five words, Buzz Aldrin casually broke my heart. Which is to say, the former astronaut-turned-rapper reminded me that despite the haze of nostalgia surrounding the 40th anniversary of the Moon landing, Aldrin is still very much an engineer, a logician who deals in pragmatic extremes. Not some romantic willing to dive into hyperbole or seemingly-pointless hypotheticals. The question prompting the above response seemed simple enough at the time: "If you could go back for another Moon walk or orbit Mars tomorrow, ...