re: first passengers on Virgin Galactic.
According to an article on Spaceship One's appearance at Oshkosh (Aviation Week, August 1, 2005), Branson and members of his family plan to be on the first flight. The article didn't say how many people have signed up so far. Of those who have signed up, 35 are unnamed celebrities. A college math instructor, Russ Mayers, handed Branson a $200,000 check at the air show. A biochemist named Lina Borozdina mortgaged her house.