There is also a Sardinian among the protagonists of Virgin Galactic's suborbital flight which left today at 5 pm (Italian time), the mission which – explains the American company – marks the start of commercial flights intended for research as well as space tourism.
There are six people on board: the lieutenant colonel from Cagliari Angelo Landolfi and the colonel Walter Villadei, from Rome, both from the Air Force, Pantaleone Carlucci, from Campania, engineer and researcher of the National Research Council, the pilot Nicola Pecile, from Udine, Captain Mike Masucci and Virgin Galactic instructor Colin Bennett.
The VSS Unity shuttle was released from the mother aircraft White Knight Two with a slight delay due to wind. After a salute with the Italian flag, the three protagonists of the Virtute 1 mission (Italian flight for suborbital research and technology) began to conduct the 13 experiments foreseen in the mission.
(Unioneonline/ss)