Richard Branson started construction in Las Cruces, New Mexico - link - of the facility from which he'll be flying his $200,000 a ticket roller coaster rides.

In the right, background of the second photo you can make out White Knight Two, the carrier aircraft for SpaceShip Two. When things get going, sometime, maybe, in 2012 White Knight II will carry SpaceShip II to about 50,000 feet. After cutting loose the rocket motor on SpaceShip II will ignite propelling SpaceShip II to about a hundred miles above the earth. That'll be $200,000, please.

At the bottom of the Wikipedia entry - link - there's an item about SpaceShip III - link. It was originally supposed to be orbital but that plan appears to have changed to make it point-to-point.

When I read about Branson's plan to commercialize the SpaceShip One/White Knight One technology into the world's highest roller coaster I was a bit surprised.

At $200,000 a pop there are more then a few people who can afford the ticket, although a smaller number who'd do it. Still, it's a big world and that number of folks would probably keep the ride going for some years. But an entertainment park ride just seems out of character for a guy who vaulted into the big leagues by starting an airline doing what everyone said wouldn't work, i.e. cut-rate trans-Atlantic flights.

So, it's kind of neat to know that, all along, there was a notion to use the technology to make the jump to a realistic commercialization of space.

Branson isn't there yet to judge from the total lack of further information about SpaceShip Three and plans beyond SpaceShip Two but the tantalizing possibility is still there.