MOJAVE, Calif. The sleek, bullet-shaped spacecraft is about the size of a large business jet—with wide windows and seats for six well-heeled passengers to take a ride into space.It’s billed as the world’s first commercial spaceship, designed to be carried aloft by an exotic jet before firing its rocket engine to climb beyond the Earth’s atmosphere.Yesterday, Virgin Galactic took the cloak off SpaceShipTwo, which had been under secret development for two years. The company plans to sell suborbital space rides for $200,000 a ticket, offering passengers 2½-hour flights that include about five minutes of weightlessness.“We want this program to be a whole new beginning in a commercial era of space travel,“ said Virgin Galactic founder Sir Richard Branson, who partnered with famed aviation designer Burt Rutan on the venture.The British billionaire hopes to begin passenger flights out of New Mexico sometime in 2011 after a series of rigorous safety tests. Branson said he, his family and Rutan will be the first to fly on SpaceShipTwo.SpaceShipTwo’s debut marks the first public appearance of a commercial passenger spacecraft. The spaceship sat in a Mojave Desert hangar, where it had been attached to the jet that will carry it to launch altitude.SpaceShipTwo is based on Rutan’s design of a prototype called SpaceShipOne. In 2004, SpaceShipOne captured the $10 million Ansari X Prize by becoming the first privately manned craft to reach space.Since that historic feat, engineers from Rutan’s Scaled Composites LLC have been laboring in the Mojave Desert on a larger design suitable for commercial use.Some 300 clients have paid the $200,000 ticket or placed a deposit, according to Virgin Galactic.“NASA spent billions upon billions of dollars on space travel and has only managed to send 480 people,“ Branson said. “We’re literally hoping to send thousands of people into space over the next couple of years. We want to make sure that we build a spaceship that is 100 percent safe.“Despite the hype, hard work lies ahead before space journeys could become as routine as air travel.Flight testing of the twin-fuselage White Knight Two has been ongoing for the past year. The first SpaceShipTwo test flights are expected to start next year, with full-fledged space launches to its maximum altitude in 2011.SpaceShipTwo, built from lightweight composite materials and powered by a rocket engine, is similar to its prototype cousin with three exceptions. It’s twice as large, measuring 60 feet long with a roomy cabin about the size of a Falcon 900 executive jet. It also has more windows including overhead portholes. And while SpaceShipOne was designed for three people, SpaceShipTwo can carry six passengers and two pilots.“It’s a big and beautiful vehicle,“ said X Prize founder Peter Diamandis, who has seen SpaceShipTwo during various stages of development.—The Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA The Philadelphia Eagles’ sponsors are standing by their team. That doesn’t mean anyone is ready to put extra money in Michael Vick’s pockets. The Eagles had prepared for a backlash after signing the convicted dogfighting ringleader last week. But while Vick is disgraced in the court of public opinion—the one that drives lucrative endorsement deals—his addition has not jeopardized the team’s corporate support.

From heart-friendly margarines to sugary cereals that strengthen bones, once-demonized foods are being spiked with nutrients to give them a healthier glow—and consumers are biting, even on some that are little more than dressed-up junk food. A report to be released today finds that even in a weak economy, people will pay a premium for products seen as preventing a health problem or providing a good alternative to sodas and empty-calorie snacks. The report is from research firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.