The midair explosion of Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic spacecraft over the Mojave Desert on Friday killed one pilot and injured another, calling into question the future of the program.
But J. Edwin Halliday, a Laguna Niguel investment executive who spent $200,000 nine years ago to buy a ticket for a future flight, remains undaunted, along with several other would-be Orange County astronauts.
“It’s a tragedy,” said Halliday, 70. But while the tickets are refundable, he has no second thoughts. “I have no doubt everyone will persevere, and the flights will go forward.”
More than a dozen Orange County residents and some 100 Californians are among the 700 people who have reserved places on Branson’s spaceline. After numerous delays, commercial flights were expected to start early next year.
Virgin Galactic had promised a two-hour trip in a six-passenger rocket, vaulting amateur astronauts 68 miles beyond Earth’s surface. The company has touted “an out-of-the-seat, zero-gravity experience with astounding views of the planet from the black sky of space.”
Frank Kavanaugh, 54, is another ticket holder who has no intention of abandoning his plan.
“My family’s thoughts are with the pilots’ family and friends,” the Aliso Viejo private equity executive said.
But he added, “I am still looking forward to the dream of space travel.”
Within hours of the accident, Kavanaugh received 50 texts and emails from friends wondering if he would change his mind. “But risk is a necessary component of advancing these technologies.” he said.
“I hope this accident won’t become a reason to assign blame, attempt to punish somebody or stop the activity.”
Anthony Nobles, 50, is equally adamant. An amateur pilot himself, the Fountain Valley medical-device executive said, “Every time you get into an airplane, there is a risk.”
But he added, “I trust the engineers of Virgin Galactic. They will learn from their mistakes. By the time I go up, they will have it vetted out all the way through.”
On Oct. 4, Virgin Galactic fans gathered at the company’s Mojave facility to celebrate the 10th anniversary of SpaceShipOne’s first successful flights – feats which won it the prestigious Ansari Xprize.
They had no reason to doubt the viability of SpaceShipTwo, the successor rocket ship, which was undergoing tests – including, for the first time in Friday’s flight, a new fuel mixture designed to boost its power.
“All the tests were going great,” said Halliday, who attended the festivities. “Branson was there, and he said he wanted to go up on the first flight by Christmas.”
Halliday said that so many of 65 original ticket buyers, dubbed “founders” by Virgin Galactic, expressed a desire to be in the second flight after Branson’s that the company announced it would set up a lottery.
Halliday, who is also an amateur pilot, expressed confidence that Virgin Galactic would “solve the problems. Back in the early 1900s, cars blew up, but that didn’t stop the car business.”
And Kavanaugh shared a quote from the French author André Gide: “You cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”
Contact the writer: mroosevelt@ocregister.com On Twitter: @MargotRoosevelt
