Sir Richard Branson Wants to Track Down Kid Who Inspired Virgin Galactic (Video)

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Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo space plane rockets through the stratosphere at 71,000 feet, its highest flight yet, during its third powered test flight on Jan. 10, 2014. The supersonic flight occurred over California's Mojave Air and Space Port.
Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo space plane rockets through the stratosphere at 71,000 feet, its highest flight yet, during its third powered test flight on Jan. 10, 2014. The supersonic flight occurred over California's Mojave Air and Space Port. (Image credit: Virgin Galactic)

Sir Richard Branson is asking the world to help him find the person who inspired his Virgin Galactic venture more than 25 years ago.

Branson wants to find Shihan Musafer, a child who called in to ask him the following question on the BBC TV show "Going Live!" back in 1988: "Have you ever thought about going into space?"

Sir Richard Branson speaks with the child Shihan Musafer by phone on BBC TV's "Going Live!" show in 1988. Branson credits Musafer for inspiring him to found Virgin Galactic and now, 25 years later, hopes to reconnect. (Image credit: Sir Richard Branson/Virgin Galactic)

"I'd love to go into space, as I think pretty well everybody watching this show would love to go to space," Branson answered at the time. "When you see those magnificent pictures in space and the incredible views, I think there could be nothing nicer. So if you're building a spacecraft, I'd love to come with you on it." [Rise of SpaceShipTwo: Amazing Test Flight Photos]

The question got Branson thinking seriously about building a commercial spaceline, he wrote in a blog post Wednesday (April 9).

A quarter-century later, Branson's company Virgin Galactic has taken deposits from more than 700 people who want to fly to suborbital space aboard the six-passenger SpaceShipTwo, which could begin commercial operations by the end of the year.

Now, Branson wants to find Musafer to express his gratitude.

"We'd love to track down Shihan to say a personal thank-you for helping to inspire the idea with that phone call," Branson wrote in the blog post. "We want to offer Shihan the chance to join Virgin Galactic as a VIP guest to witness a spaceflight. Can you help us? If you think you can help with the mission to find #shihanmusafer, tweet @richardbranson and @virgingalactic."

A ticket to ride SpaceShipTwo currently costs $250,000. During their suborbital flights, passengers will get to see Earth against the blackness of space and experience a few minutes of weightlessness, company officials say.

Virgin Galactic isn't the only company selling seats on a suborbital spaceship. XCOR Aerospace, for example, charges $95,000 to ride its one-passenger Lynx space plane, which could begin flying customers around the same time that SpaceShipTwo does.

Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.

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Mike Wall
Mike Wall
Senior Space Writer

Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.