Virgin unveils plan for space service (The Age)

From the article: “The bid is a natural first for Branson, a high-school dropout turned flamboyant tycoon who has made several failed attempts to circle the world by hot-air balloon.

“It’s just the kind of thing he absolutely loves, because it gets him maximum publicity,” said David Learmount, operations and safety editor of Flight International magazine. “But the technology is there, it’s plausible.”

It reminds me of when I was working in an office near Darling Harbour in Sydney and one day noticed a helicopter flying past the window which was carrying someone suspended by a rope. I thought to myself “Thats odd, who would do that?”. After reading the paper the following day I discovered it was Richard Branson.