Virgin Galactic has released the final design of the launch system that will take fare-paying passengers into space. It is based on the X-Prize-winning SpaceShipOne concept - a rocket ship that is lifted initially by a carrier plane before blasting skywards. The Virgin system is essentially a refinement, but has been increased in size to take eight people at a time on a sub-orbital trip, starting in 2010. Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson said the space business had huge potential. Join discussion...

2010: Computers become invisible. 2020: $1,000 buys a computer working at 10 quadrillion, or 10^16, calculations per second. 2025: Computer are able to simulate the entire human brain. 2030: Nonbiological intelligence matches human intelligence in range and subtlety; $1,000 buys a computer 1,000 times more powerful than the human brain. Join discussion...