Finnish Astronaut HatBlue hat, one size. Made of acrylic. Text is SUOMALAINEN ASTRONAUTTI = FINNISH ASTRONAUTRead more »
The Finnish Astronaut Hat
The Finnish Astronaut Hat
Finnish Astronaut HatBlue hat, one size. Made of acrylic. Text is SUOMALAINEN ASTRONAUTTI = FINNISH ASTRONAUTRead more »
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New rocket, VSS Imagine, and status of the projectWednesday 3/31/21 time 8:47 AM Yesterday, March 31, 2021, Virgin Galactic held a remote meeting with us to introduce the new rocket, VSS Imagine. The rocket is an improved version of the previous rockets (VSS Enterprise and VSS Unity). It is faster to build, easier to maintain, lighter, shiny and stronger. VSS Imagine will start testing in the summer. Rickard Branson described the appearance of the new rocket as “Sexy Beast”. In the remote meeting there were Virgin Galactica staff and Richard Branson. A few Virgin Galactic customers were allowed to ask questions about the new rocket. It nice to see and hear familiar faces in the remote meeting. The meeting also reviewed the situation of the project. VSS Unity will make a test flight into space in May and Richard Branson is scheduled to go into space in this summer. After that, a few more test flights will be done before the actual commercial flights begin in early 2022. If VSS Unity and VSS Image are both in use in 2022, then my flight might take place in late 2022. At some point next year I will probably know who I am flying with. Are there any formula or movie stars on my flight? I would be happy to fly with Tom Hanks because he was actor in Apollo 13 -movie. Virgin Galactic has taken a break from ticket sales. In the beginning, the ticket cost $ 200,000 and later its price went up to $ 250,000. When ticket sales will start again, the price will probably be higher than $ 250,000. So, when I paid $ 200,000 for my ticket in 2010, it was a good price. More information:
Picture Virgin Galacic: VSS Unity  |
Virgin Galactic continues test flightsWednesday 2/3/21 time 1:29 PM Virgin Galactic announced that test flights will continue after February 13, 2021. Flights are operated from New Mexico, Spaceport America. The previous test flight was 12.12.2020. The test flight will be crewed by two pilots and will carry research payloads as part of the NASA Flight Opportunities program. The rocket can carry people or equipment into space. More info-> Virgin Galactic |
Richard Branson's mother, Eve Branson, dies from COVID-19Thursday 1/14/21 time 10:43 AM Eve Branson has died on January 11, 2020 from COVID-19 aged 96. I met him once in 2011 in New Mexico while I was visiting Spaceport America. I remember her as an energetic and lovely lady. Richard Branson named the mothership to be VMS Eve after his mother. Richard Branson's memoir about his mother.. -> Virgin 
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What happened in 2020 and what do I expect from the year 2021?Thursday 12/31/20 Significant events in 2020 were:
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The next test flight will happen soonFriday 12/11/20 time 10:02 PM The next test flight will happen very soon from New Mexico. More info-> Virgin Galactic |
COVID-19 postpones the next spaceflightTuesday 11/17/20 time 8:50 AM The state of New Mexico has introduced new restrictions due to COVID-19. The space flight will happen when it is safe. Yes, that flight will come a little later:) For more information: -> https://www.cnbc.com/ |
The next space flight in 6-10 daysFriday 11/13/20 time 1:23 PM Virgin Galactic will make its first spaceflight from Spaceport America in 6-10 days. That flight will certainly be followed by new flights to get Sir Richard Branson into space from early 2021. And my turn to go to the space is a year from Branson’s flight. Now I don't have to wait another 10 years! More info-> Business Insider |
I was virtually in space!Monday 11/2/20 time 12:20 PM Virgin Galactic borrowed me a virtual reality series (VR) in October 2020. It was a very nice experience to see all the phases of my space flight. The best thing was when I was 100 miles high on my rocket. I was able to look out of all 17 windows, talk to my pilots (though they didn’t answer me) and be able to get out of the rocket without a spacesuit. This virtual space walk was a pretty scary experience. At an altitude of 100 kilometers, by the way, there are quite spectacular views! In the linked video I am virtually in space. It’s hard to explain what VR is, you should try it yourself. VR is much better than various videos and pictures from space. Here is a link to the YouTube video-> youtube In the picture I am in space.
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The next test flight is planned to happen in OctoberSunday 9/20/20 time 7:21 PM Virgin Galactic is planning to make the next test flight in October. If all goes well, then Sir Richard Branson himself will fly space in early 2021. I have been waiting for this years, now it is finally happening! My turn would be then in 2022. Link -> cnbc news |
Welcome home SpaceX astronauts!Sunday 8/2/20 time 10:08 PM The SpaceX capsule landed as planned to the sea near Florida. In the capsule there were two NASA astronauts, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, who were sent into space on May 30, 2020. So their trip lasted a little over 2 months. This flight was a success, so now the United States can send astronauts to the space with their own rocket. Elo Musk will probably have a small party due to this successful flight. It would be nice to be at those parties! |
Rocket cabin is readyTuesday 7/28/20 time 11:16 PM Virgin Galactic did show today what my rocket looks like from the inside. The public presentation was held virtually via YouTube and there were 20,000 of us watching the live broadcast. After that, VG customers had their own 45-minute meeting where they were allowed to ask questions. VG has taken the wishes of the passengers into account in its plans, and SpaceShipTwo is probably the first spacecraft in which the wishes of customers have been the focus of interior design. The rocket is really stylish inside, spacious and there are enough windows. The pilots have 5 windows and there are 12 more windows in the cabin. The windows in the cabin are about 2 times larger than the windows in ordinary planes and the you can hold window frames. There is more legroom than on the planes I usually fly. As a Finn, I appreciate that blue and white have been used in the interior. Flight information e.g. speed, altitude and remaining time are easily visible. The windows are easy to go to and the seats are really stylish. The seats can be changed to suit all sizes. There is no need for your own camera on the flight, as 16 cameras record the events of the flight. Some cameras can automatically take space selfies. We don't have a helmet on the flight. For communication, we get earbuds with which pilots and passengers can communicate.
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New test flight doneSunday 6/28/20 time 10:55 PM Virgin Galactic made a test flight on June 25, 2020. It was a glide flight in which the rocket first rises in the stomach of the mother ship to 15 kilometers. There the rocket is dropped and the rocket glides back to Spaceport America. The test flight went well. The next test could be a test flight to the space. Video-> Youtube |
American astronauts reached the International Space Station with their own rocket!Sunday 5/31/20 time 11:04 PM Today (31.05.2020) it happened! Two American astronauts, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, docked at the International Space Station (ISS) with an American rocket. They left yesterday (May 30, 2020) on the Elon Musk Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center. The first attempt was made on 27.05.2020, but it had to be canceled due to bad weather. This is a big thing for Americans because since 2011, they haven’t had their own rocket to send astronauts to the space. When I was in Florida in July 2019 visiting the Kennedy Space Center, Americans talked a lot of need to have their own rocket back. The rocket is from private company called SpaceX. Rocket name is Falcon 9.
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Virgin Galactic made a test flight from Spaceport AmericaFriday 5/1/20 time 9:23 PM Today, Virgin Galactic made its first test flight from Spaceport America. This was a glide flight where a rocket was dropped from 50 000 feets and then the rocket returned to the airport. The rocket was piloted by Dave Mackay and CJ Sturckow. They might also be pilots on my flight. Dave is a nice guy, I met him last year at the Kennedy Space Center. More information -> Virgin Galactic |
Virgin Galactic starts to sell spaceflights againWednesday 2/26/20 time 8:26 PM On February 25, 2020, Virgin Galactic released a press release announcing that it will start to sell spaceflights again. Currently, 600 have booked the spaceflight. The final price will be announced later, but the final price can be $ 250,000 or more. The trip cost $ 200,000 from 2005 to 2013 and then $ 250,000. Following the 2014 accident, VG did not actively sell spaceflighs. This is proof that VG is really close to start spaceflights! If VG makes one flight a week, it will take 2 years for the first 600 to enter space.
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The space suit and Virgin Galactic meetingSaturday 2/22/20 time 8:05 PM Virgin Galactic meeting and the space suitVirgin Galactic hosts various meetings throughout the year. I flew on 19.02.2020 to London. At this meeting, our space suit was introduced. It was introduced by Tom Westray, who has been designing the suit. The suit consists of 150 parts. The suit has padding on the shoulders, a place for the flag, a place for the name, several pockets and other details. I spent the evening with 30 other Virgin Galactic customers and we were really happy with the suit. You get the suit after the flight.
Mars researchThe meeting was held at the Desing Museum, which also had an exhibition on Mars exploration. There are many projects aimed at exploring or colonizing Mars. Elon Musk wants to make permanent housing on Mars. NASA plans to build a space station for exploration of Mars. It was amazing to see this exhibition. I recommend!
Virgin Galactic OfficeThen the next day I went to the Virgin Galactic office in London. Virgin Galactic is in the same building with other Virgin companies. When I was at office, I thought that I would ask at the VG office one thing that I've been thinking about for 10 years. In 2010, two Finns bought a space trip a week and I was the second. In 2010 you were able to pay for part of the trip, where the start number is after persons who have paid the full price. I paid the full price in 2010, but I didn't know what the other Finn had paid. I got to know that I'm going to be the first Finn in space, which is nice thing.
Below are photos of the space suit and Mars exploration.
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My rocket, VSS Unity, flew to New MexicoSaturday 2/15/20 time 8:20 PM VSS Unity flew to Spaceport America on February 13, 2020. Now all the necessary equipment has been transferred to Spaceport America, where commercial space flights will begin in the near future. Virgin Galactica still needs to do some test flight before Sir Richard Branson goes into space. More information-> Virgin Galactic |
Spaceport America is waiting Virgin Galactic to start space flights in 2020Saturday 2/1/20 time 9:47 PM Spaceport America, in New Mexico, is waiting for Virgin Galactic to start commercial space flights this year. According Albuquerque Journal Spaceport America is now making profit. It did cost $220 million. Virgin Galactic has been tenant since 2009, but VG has not done yet spaceflights from Spaceport America. I visited Spaceport America in 2011 and it is very impressive place. More information: www.abqjournal.com |
Finnish Satellite Workshop 2020, Espoo, Finland 20-22 January 2020Tuesday 1/28/20 time 11:50 AM Finnish Satellite Workshop with Finnish remote sensing days I participated in the Finnish Satellite Workshop, a Finnish satellite seminar held on 20-22 January 2020 at Aalto University in Espoo. The seminar has grown since last year and the number of registered participant was now 558. There were total 87 presentations in two halls this year. Each presentation was 20 minutes long. Unfortunately, it was not possible to attend all sessions. Among others, about 30 satellite projects were introduced at the seminar. Below you will find some notes of the presentations that for me were most interesting. Small satellites The smallest satellites are 10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm and weigh approximately 1.5 kg. The size of a satellite of this size is defined as 1 unit (1 U). The satellite needs both a power supply and a communication system in order to function. In addition, its cargo may be, for example, a camera and a measuring device. There are several types of measuring instruments. Building a small satellite (1 U) costs about EUR 50,000 - 200,000 and sending it to an altitude of 400 - 700 km costs about EUR 50,000 - 100,000. The Suomi100 satellite is a small satellite (1 U). It was launched into space on 3 December 2018 on Falcon 9 rocket, and there is a camera and a measuring device aboard. The Suomi100 satellite has taken several pictures which are available online. Further information: finland100satelliitti.fi
Slightly larger satellites The satellite can also be for example 3 units (3 U) in size, measuring 10 cm x 10 cm by 30 cm. The modular structure makes it possible to construct and transmit satellites in a reasonable manner. The largest satellites presented at the seminar were 16 U in size, enabling them to carry powerful cameras and measuring instruments to study the mineral shadow of asteroids, for example.
Measuring environmental changes One field to make use of small satellites relates to various environmental issues. This year, several projects to measure climate change were introduced. Satellites are able to measure CO2 concentrations, ice levels, desertification, predict hurricanes or any other changes in the nature in a very short time. The new satellites have smaller and more accurate cameras than the old ones, the quality of images is thus constantly improving. In some cases, the data collected by the satellites may be available to you in a refined form via some phone applications in real time.
KitSat, Finnish satellite for training purposes At the previous seminar in January 2019, Jari Mäkinen introduced the KitSat project. Now the project has been launched. In 2019 , 50 satellites were sold and this year's forecast is to sell 400 satellites. KitSat is a small satellite (10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm) that can be used for training and teaching purposes. It is demountable and has the elements of a real satellite. You can fly it, shoot pictures, and communicate with it just like with a real satellite. KitSat is a Finnish start-up that has literally taken off. Many of us do not know how satellites work and what they look like - KitSat meets this need. Further information: KitSat
The third satellite seminar I attended the seminar for the third time. The content and organization of the seminar worked well. Jaan Praks and his team certainly know how organize a seminar. I will definitely participate again next year! Further information: Finnish Satellite Workshop 2020    |
I bought my ticket 10 years agoTuesday 1/21/20 On January 21, 2010, Area announced that the second Finn had bought a trip to space. I was the buyer of the trip and I went public on 4/02/2010 on morning television. In 2010, I was supposed to fly into space 2013. I didn't fly, and at the moment it looks like I'm flying in 2021.
2010 my first appearance on television, interviews with various magazines and radio 2011 visit to Spaceport America, meeting with Richard Branson and other Virgin Galactic customers 2012 I did buy Rocket Uno and Virgin Galactic meeting in England 2013 visit to rocket factory in Mojave, Zero-G flight and centrifuge training for G-forces 2014 astronaut fitness school started and 100km walk in 22 hours 2015 Virgin Galactic Meeting in England 2016 Rocket Uno in two car shows (Helsinki and Lahti) 2017 Eukonkanto World Championships 2018 Rocket-Uno version 3 2019 Apollo 50th Anniversary Gala in Florida and Virgin Galactic Meeting 2020 Rocket-Uno version 4 will be ready by 01.05.2020 and Richard Branson will be 70 years old 18.07.2020 = Virgin Galactica's 1st Commercial Flight to Space? 2021 own flight to space |
