It is natural for us to simply accept the casual miracle of air travel. Nobody wants to dwell on the engines that failed, the mistakes of tired pilots, the faulty radar. Nobody wants to dwell on the engines that failed, the mistakes of tired pilots, the faulty radar. Perhaps we should remember them more, and appreciate the lessons learned from each successive tragedy.
Older readers might recall that passengers used to applaud the pilot on a safe landing; it wouldn't hurt to reinstate that habit.
Branson has surrounded Virgin Galactic with the kind of marketing that comes naturally to him. He has welcomed celebrities such as Katy Perry and Justin Bieber to the 700-strong list of people who've already bought $250,000 tickets. "Let's shoot a music video in space!" Bieber enthused the day he joined the list.