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Ceann Comhairle refuses Thomas Gould's request to address Dáil over business fraud allegation
Does Ireland need more data centres in the near future? Yes, says Taoiseach
Members of Enoch Burke's family forcibly removed from gala dinner in Washington DC after disrupting speech
Virgin Galactic file photo of the VSS Enterprise being carried by its mothership VMS Eve over Spaceport America in New Mexico. Virgin Galactic/Jeffrey Vock
Spaceport
Virgin Galactic opens world's first spaceport in New Mexico
The company, which aims to become the world’s first commercial spaceline, plans to launch its first space flight within a year.
RICHARD BRANSON’S Virgin Galactic is opening the world’s first commercial spaceport in New Mexico today.
Those who have signed up for the first of the company’s space flights will join Branson and his Galactic team at Spaceport America in New Mexico today.
On his blog today, Branson described today’s event as “a momentous occasion and another big step for our great adventure”.
Virgin Galactic announced last week that NASA had booked a charter suborbital flight from the New Mexico operation and the deal includes options for two additional flights; the total contract is worth $4.5 million (€3.26 million). The company also recently announced the appointment of former NASA executive Michael Moses as its vice president of operations.
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Virgin Galactic, which aims to become the world’s first commercial spaceline, is planning to launch its first flight from the New Mexico base within the coming year. It says that each space mission has space for up to 1,300lbs of scientific equipment.
For anyone interested in catching one of the space flights, tickets cost $200,000 and you can book online or through any of the accredited space agents (the nearest agents to Ireland are based in the UK). Around 430 have booked already, according to the company.
The company released this footage of the first ‘feather’ flight of its SpaceShipTwo spacecraft earlier this year. It can carry six passengers and two pilots:
- Additional reporting by the AP
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I was under the impression that it is not being downgraded to a fine. If your over 80mg you still have to go to court and charged criminally. Currently if your under 80mg you walk whereas the new law wont let those bearly under off the hook so likely i.e the fine and penalty points. As far as I am aware the fine only applies to first time offence as well, if your caught over 50 a 2nd time you go to court. So in effect the laws are being made stricter ? Correct me if I have this wrong.
is being over the limit classified as being drunk. or is it only a name or level of intoxication when your driving, being labelled drunk carries a negative aspect to having a social drink. I’m all for reduced alcohol blood limits when it comes to driving. just wondering on the naming terms
The problem with this is of course, that it is impossible to ‘know’ if a person is over the limit. The figure could be a lot more. Very few people are actually aware of the quantity of alcohol that would set them over the legal limit. It is more often less that they expect.
No wonder drink related accidents are so high. If in an accident the driver has zero alcohol only the passenger in the back seat is over the limit that accident is classed as being “drink related” if a pedestrian over limit is tipped by a car through his or her own fault it is drink related.
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