Stem Southwest Podcast

Future space tourists will have today's guest, Chief Pilot David Mackay of Virgin Galactic, to thank for their adventures into the cosmos.  This fit family man is working with entrepreneurial king, Sir Richard Branson, to make travel into space accessible to all.  David recently completed a successful Virgin Galactic test flight where he traveled approximately 55 miles above the Earth’s surface and had with him the company’s first test passenger.  In this episode, David shares the pain of a sobering tragedy that killed Pilot Michael Alsbury as Virgin Galactic prepared to launch its space program.  David also gives listeners a vivid description of what Earth looks like from the vantage point of a pilot’s seat, and shares his thoughts on the upcoming transition of Virgin Galactic’s commercial space program from Mojave, California to Truth or Consequences, the location of Spaceport America.   Show Notes David Mackay was born in Scotland and studied Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Glasgow. He joined