>>> WE ARE BROCKACK NOW.
7:40 WITH OUR EXCLUSIVE
INTERVIEW WITH RICHARD BRANSON
AND FELLOW ASTRONAUT SIRISHA
BANDLA.
MORE THAN 50 MILES ABOVE EARTH
ON BOARD VIRGIN GALACTICS
SPACECRAFT.
WE REMEMBER THESE, FAMOUSLY
ATTEMPTING AND SETTING SAIL
RECORDS FOR THE FASTEST ATLANTIC
OCEAN CROSSING, THAT WAS BACK IN
86.
FIVE YEARS LATER, OH, NOTHING,
HE JUST BROKE A HOT AIR BALLOON
RECORD CROSSING THE PACIFIC FROM
JAPAN TO THE ARCTIC REACHING
SPEEDS OF 245 MILES PER HOUR.
BUT IT WAS ALL LEADING UP TO HIS
LATEST FEAT.
BRANSON AND CREW, A CREW OF FIVE
OTHERS, REWARDED FOR THEIR
PIONEERING SPIRIT, FOUR MINUTES
OF WEIGHTLESS JOY IN SPACE AND A
SPECTACULAR VIEW OF EARTH THAT
FEW HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE.
BEFORE THEY TOUCHED DOWN SAFELY IN NEW MEXICO.
IN NEW MEXICO.
AND WE ARE JOINED NOW BY RICHARD
BRANSON AND SHAH REESHIRISHA BAN
HE SAID BY YOUR OWN COUNT, YOU
HAVE CHEATED DEATH 75 TIMES.
75 TIMES.
SO I WAS CURIOUS, WHATS THE
CLOSEST YOUVE COME AND WHY DO
YOU KEEP DOING THESE THINGS THAT
PUT YOU SO CLOSE TO THE EDGE?
>> FIRST OF ALL, I HAVE A VERY
FRIENDLY STAR UP THERE THAT
SEEMS TO SOMEHOW GET ME HOME.
I THINK THE CLOSEST, I SUSPECT,
WAS IN SOME OF THOSE BIG BALLOON
ADVENTURES WHEN -- I THINK IVE
GOT THE RECORD FOR BEING PULLED
OUT OF THE SEA FIVE TIMES BY
HELICOPTERS.
>> FIVE TIMES.
>> SO -- BUT THE REASON I DO IT
IS IVE JUST FIND THAT SAYING
YELL IS A HELL OF A LOT MORE FUN
THAN SAYING NO.
IF SOMEONE SAYS WE COULD BE THE
FIRST TO FLY AROUND THE WORLD IN
A BALLOON OR WE COULD DO THIS
MAGNIFICENT CHALLENGE THAT
NOBODY HAS DONE BEFORE, IM NOT
GOING TO WATCH IT ON TELEAND
WATCH SOMEONE ELSE DO IT.
>> HOW DID THIS FLIGHT COMPARE
TO ALL OF THOSE THINGS THAT WE
JUST SHARED?
>> THIS FLIGHT WAS 17 YEARS IN
THE MAKING.
WITH 800 WONDERFUL ENGINEERS.
SO IT WASNT -- IT WASNT RISKY
IN THE SAME WAY THAT BALLOONING
OR BOATING WAS.
IT WAS QUITE MAGNIFICENT.
AND ITS A DREAM -- IT WAS JUST
A DREAM COME TRUE FOR ALL OF US,
JUST BEING ABLE TO CREATE A
SPACE LINE THAT HOPEFULLY QUITE
A FEW OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE
WATCHING THIS SHOW ONE DAY WILL
GO UP ON AND BECOME ASTRONAUTS
AND, YOU KNOW, PETER PAN WAS MY
FAVORITE CHARACTER AS A KID, YOU
KNOW, FLYING IN THE SPACECRAFT,
SEEING SIRISHA BELOW FLYING
ALONGSIDE ME, IT WAS
MAGNIFICENT.
>> SIRISHA, IT LOOKED LIKE SUCH
A MOMENT IN YOUR LIFE AND I
COULDNT HELP BUT THINK OF ALL
THE YOUNG GIRLS LOOKING AT YOU
AND SAYING, MAN, MAYBE ONE DAY.
MAYBE ONE DAY.
SO WHAT HAS THIS EXPERIENCE
MEANT TO YOU?
>> ITS BEEN INCREDIBLE.
SO I HAVE WANTED TO BE AN
ASTRONAUT SINCE I WAS YOUNG.
I WANTED TO GO THE TRADITIONAL
ROUTE, BUT THEN I HAVE REALLY
BAD EYESIGHT.
AND I WAS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT
HOW I WAS GOING TO GET THERE.
AND AROUND THAT SAME TIME,
RICHARD ANNOUNCED THAT HE WAS
CREATING VIRGIN GALACTIC AND IT
WAS GOING TO BE SPACE FLYING FOR
EVERYONE AND MAKE SPACE
ACCESSIBLE FOR EVERYONE.
AND I REMEMBER THINKING THATS
HOW IM GOING TO GET TO SPACE.
FAST FORWARD TO TODAY, I JOINED
VIRGIN GALACTIC FOR THIS
PURPOSE, TO HOPEFULLY OPEN UP
SPACE FOR EVERYONE.
>> LOOK WHAT I CARRIED.
THIS IS SIRISHAS, WHAT SHE HAS.
>> WOW.
>> CONGRATULATIONS.
WHAT A MOMENT.
YOU KNOW, THERE ARE NO ACCIDENTS
IN LIFE, I DONT THINK.
AND THERES A REASON THAT YOU
GUYS TEAMED UP.
JEFF BEZOS IS GOING UP ON
TUESDAY.
ARE YOU SO HAPPY YOU BEAT HIM
UP?
YOU BEAT HIM UP THERE?
>> I AM HAPPY THAT HES GOING TO
HAVE THE MOST UNBELIEVABLE
EXPERIENCE.
AND THE TEAM WITH HIM.
I MEAN, I THINK WE WANT TO MAKE
SPACE AVAILABLE TO ALL.
AND WEVE JUST LAUNCHED
SOMETHING WITH A WONDERFUL
ORGANIZATION CALLED AMAZE TO TRY
TO GET HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE, GIVE
THEM THE CHANCE OF GOING TO
SPACE FOR NOTHING.
SO, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE $10, YOU
CAN HAVE A CHANCE TO GET
YOURSELF AND A FRIEND TO GO TO
SPACE.
AND THEN THE MONEY WILL JUST GO
TOWARDS MAKING OPPORTUNITIES FOR
MORE AND MORE PEOPLE IN THE TIME
TO COME.
>> CAN I JUST -- I HAVE TO
QUICKLY ADDRESS THE CRITICS WHO
SOME ARE SAYING, WOW, THESE
ULTRA RICH GUYS ARE SPENDING A
LOT OF DOUGH GOING UP INTO SPACE
FOR A JOY RIDE WHEN THERE ARE
THINGS THAT NEED ATTENTION, THE
PANDEMIC, POVERTY, CLIMATE
CHANGE.
HOW DO YOU ANSWER THOSE?
>> I 100% DEGREE PEOPLE WHO ARE
IN POSITION OF WEALTH SHOULD
SPEND MOST OF THEIR MONEY, 90%
OR MORE OF THEIR MONEY TRYING TO
TACKLE THESE ISSUES.
BUT WE SHOULD ALSO CREATE NEW
INDUSTRIES THAT CAN CREATE, YOU
KNOW, 800 ENGINEERS AND
SCIENTISTS WHO CAN CREATE
WONDERFUL THINGS THAT CAN MAKE
SPACE ACCESSIBLE AT A FRACTION
OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL COST IT HAS
BEEN IN THE PAST.
JUST TO GIVE YOU A QUICK IDEA,
THE ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS OF US
SENDING PEOPLE FROM AIR LAUNCH
SYSTEM INTO SPACE IS THE SAME AS
ONE ROUND TRIP ON A VIRGIN
ATLANTIC FLIGHT TO LONDON AND
BACK.
AND THATS REDUCED THE COSTS
DRAMATICALLY.
AND THEN THE SCIENTISTS CAN DO
WONDERFUL THINGS IN SPACE.
>> YEAH.
SO WHEN I WAS FLYING, MY ROLE
WAS TO TEST RESEARCH
CAPABILITIES.
WE NOW HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO
SEND RESEARCHERS UP WITH THEIR
EXPERIMENTS.
TYPICALLY, THEY WOULD HAND AN
ASTRONAUT THEIR EXPERIMENT WITH
INSTRUCTIONS, BUT NOW THEY CAN
FLY WITH IT.
SO ON THIS LAST FLIGHT, I
ACTUALLY -- IF YOU LOOK AT SOME
OF THE FOOTAGE, YOU SEE ME MESS,
THIS TUBE.
IM PERFORMING A SCIENCE
EXPERIMENT IN SPACE.
ITS WEIRD TO SEE THAT.
>> LASTLY, YOURE TURNING 71 ON
SUNDAY.
DO YOU HAVE A NEXT GOAL?
IS THERE A NEXT THING ON THE
HORIZON FOR YOU, RICHARD?
>> WELL, YOU MENTIONED THERES A
LOT OF PROBLEMS IN THE WORLD.
AND I THINK THE NEXT 25 YEARS OF
MY LIFE IS GOING TO BE USING
ORGANIZATIONS WE SET UP LIKE THE
ELDERS AND THE OCEANIC ELDERS
AND THE B TEAM AND CARBON WAR
ROOM TO TACKLE THOSE PROBLEMS.
I HAVE A SLIGHTLY HIGHER PROFILE
TODAY THAN I DID YESTERDAY WILL
MAKE IT THAT MUCH EASIER FOR ME
TO PICK UP THE PHONE AND TRY TO
GET SOME OF THESE PROBLEMS
SOLVED.
>> WE ARE CHEERING YOU ON.