The New Space Race, with Nicholas Schmidle and Helen Czerski
b'When Richard Branson founded Virgin Galactic in 2004, the goal was simple: to offer civilian space travel by the end of the decade. Seventeen years, a dozen delays and one catastrophic rocket crash later, we are on the verge of space tourism becoming a reality. New Yorker writer Nicholas Schmidle has witnessed the fall and rise of Virgin Galactic first-hand. Over the last five years, he has spent thousands of hours at Virgin\\u2019s \\u2018spaceport\\u2019 in the Mojave desert, befriending the pilots who are risking their lives to make space tourism a reality. The episode was hosted by Helen Czerski. To buy the book with the Intelligence Squared discount click here:\\xa0https://www.primrosehillbooks.com/product/test-gods-tragedy-and-triumph-in-the-new-space-race-nicholas-schmidle/ \\n\\u2014\\nWe\\u2019d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be.\\xa0\\nSend us an email or voice note with your thoughts to podcasts@intelligencesquared.com or Tweet us @intelligence2.\\xa0\\nAnd if you\\u2019d like to support our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations, as well as ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content, early access and much more, become a supporter of Intelligence Squared..\\nJust visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more.\\xa0\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices'