Branson told CNN: No $200,000, no seat on SpaceShipTwo

I had heard a rumour that Virgin Galactic had approached Cable News Network, aka CNN, and offered them a seat, exclusively, a one time offer to a global news organisation for a ride on SpaceShip Two; and it sort of made sense considering a lot of the spaceline's potential customers are probably wandering around the world and watching the channel in hotels

Following on from my twitter teaser on the issue I can reveal that I spoke to former CNN reporter Miles O'Brien on Monday 30 March at the Coalition for Space Exploration media roundtable (where I met Nick Lampson) about this rumour

O'Brien explained that in fact while he was still at CNN his then employer and he approached the spaceline and had meetings with the Anglo-American outfit including talking to Sir Richard Branson about CNN getting onboard a flight but Branson wanted the $200,000 and CNN couldn't even get a cut price rate. So all their hopes came crashing down to Earth, so to speak

I should have told O'Brien they have already offered Hyperbola a trip, one-way of course... ;-)