Virgin Galactic's Upcoming Suborbital Research Flight: Date, Crew, and Mission Details Revealed

Virgin Galactic is set to perform its final suborbital spaceflight of the year, Galactic 05, in early November. The mission will include two researchers, Alan Stern and Kellie Gerardi, who will conduct various experiments and collect biomedical data. Stern, an advocate for suborbital research, will evaluate a harness and test an astronomical camera, while Gerardi will test a biomonitoring device and conduct a fluid dynamics experiment. The flight represents a new kind of space activity, allowing scientists to train in space for future experiments funded by NASA. Virgin Galactic sees suborbital research as a potentially lucrative application for its vehicles and plans to enhance its research capabilities for future missions.