11. What is the main idea of the article above? In 2004, Richard Branson started a new company under the Virgin name. The company, Virgin Galactic, was created to be the first space tourism company. Branson signed a deal with Burt Rutan, who developed the first private human spaceflight in the world. The plan was for Rutan to design and build five spacecrafts based on a version of his SpaceShipOne. Construction began in 2005, and six months of intensive testing were planned for 2007. At least 50-100 flights would take place during testing. Actual spaceflights for citizens would begin on the SpaceShipTwo in New Mexico in 2009. The spacecrafts are intended to be affordable enough to take paying passengers. The craft is projected to hold six passengers and two pilots. SpaceShipTwo is scheduled to make flights just over 100 kilometers in altitude. This will allow passengers to experience approximately six minutes of weightlessness, and the flight will take two and a half hours.

a. Space tourism is extremely dangerous and very expensive.
b. The first private citizen spaceflights will take place in 2009.
c. Burt Rutan developed the first private human spacecraft.
d. Richard Branson started the first space tourism company.