Honor Flight brings veterans to WWII memorial - CNN International

Veteran Dick Coss hugs an enlisted family member who surprised him at the World War II memorial. WWII veterans get free travel to memorial in Washington through Honor Flight Less than 10 percent of WWII American veterans are still aliveTwelve veterans started the Honor Flight in 2005 with six small planesNow, Honor Flight charters Boeing jets to take veterans from all over the country

(CNN) -- Meet the "greatest generation" -- the 16 million servicemen and women who served in World War II.

Eighty-year-old Army veteran Chris Maurer couldn't wait to sign up. He lied his way into the army at the age of 15.

"I went to sign up and said 'I'm ready to go!' They told me, 'You look too young!' So I said, my mama said I could go. So she signed for me and that was it. I was gone," Maurer said.

Eighty-nine-year-old Hal Murray said he remembers navigating the skies of Europe like it was yesterday. "The farther we pushed Germany back after the Rhine crossing, the heavier the flack for our bombers," Murray said.

And 83-year-old Weyman Owens witnessed the destruction left behind from the nuclear strikes at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

"It was hell. At least a mile from where they dropped that thing, buildings made of rod iron were just twisted and torn to pieces: a church, torn all to pieces, everything just blown to pieces. Nothing I've ever seen compares to that."

Many veterans, including Maurer, Murray and Owens, didn't think they would get a chance to see the memorial.

Chris Maurer is greeted by military officials and volunteers at the Baltimore airport.

That is until they heard about Honor Flight, a program dedicated to getting veterans to the memorial in Washington. Twelve veterans started the program in 2005 with six small planes.

Today, it operates like a volunteer airline, with 98 hubs in 35 states. Now, instead of renting small planes, they charter Boeing jets, thanks to donations that keep the planes in the sky. The veterans don't pay a penny.

There is a sense of urgency at Honor Flight because less than 10 percent of those who served in the war are still alive.

At the memorial, Murray paused to remember the high price of freedom -- the more than 400,000 American soldiers who died in the war.

"To Paul McKinney and the 15 other men who died in my squadron, this honors them all," Murray said. "This is just a very beautiful place and they've done a very great job of making it meaningful for old jokers like me."

"I didn't go into service to have a memorial," fellow veteran Owens said.

"But it's beautiful, it's worthwhile, and it's something to be proud of."

World War II veterans are dying at a rate of about 1,000 per day, said Royce Ard, West Georgia's Honor Flight hub director.

"Some have even passed away while waiting to go on this trip. So it's imperative that we get as many of these flights done as quickly as possible," Ard said.

In the days and weeks before each Honor Flight, an army of ground volunteers coordinates every detail from the buses that pick them up to the meals they eat.

Everywhere they go, they are greeted by well-wishers -- people who have no connection to the veterans except a desire to thank them for their service.

In some cases, Ard said, this is the first time they have been thanked so directly.

"It's not because people ignored them. In 1945 everyone was in the service. So when they came home, they went back to work, back to the farm and back to school. They just came home and started to build up America again," Ard said.

"Thanking the World War II veteran took way to long."

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Obama Signs NASA Bill, Could Add Extra Shuttle Flight - PC Magazine

President Barack Obama signed the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 on Monday, giving an additional flight to the space shuttle fleet before it is retired.

"It is important bipartisan legislation that charts a new course for space exploration, science, technology development, and aeronautics," NASA administrator Charles Bolden said in a statement.

On top of the extra trip, the act extends the life of the international space station until at least 2020. It authorizes $58.4 billion for NASA programs over the next three years, although the specifics of how and where the funds will be used have yet to be determined. The allocation will also speed up the development of a heavy-lift rocket, expected in 2011,it will go toward commercial space programs, and it will help earth science education programs.

The bill was passed by the Senate in August and by the House last week. President Obama's signature on it signifies the end of months of debate over the future of NASA.

"We have been given a new path in space that will enable our country to develop greater capabilities, transforming the state of the art in aerospace technologies," Bolden continued. "We will continue to maintain and expand vital partnerships around the world. It will help us retool for the industries and jobs of the future that will be vital for long-term economic growth and national security."

According to a CNN blog post, the two remaining space shuttle missions are slated for this November and February, and the extra launch would likely lift off in June of 2011.

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Branson's Virgin Galactic Completes First Solo Space Flight - PC Magazine

Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic on Sunday completed its first manned free flight of a spaceship intended to eventually take customers on commercial space flights.

SpaceShipTwo, also known as the VSS Enterprise, was piloted by Pete Siebold and Mike Alsbury. Virgin Galactic was testing whether the spaceship could successfully release from its mothership and glide back to Earth. The ship did indeed release at 45,000 feet and land safely at Mojave Air and Space Port in California.

The mothership, named the WhiteKnightTwo, had flown 40 times prior to Sunday's free flight, including four trips during which the VSS Enterprise was attached. On July 15, Virgin Galactic flew for the first time with a crew on board.

"The VSS Enterprise was a real joy to fly, especially when one considers the fact that the vehicle has been designed not only to be a Mach 3.5 spaceship capable of going into space but also one of the worlds highest altitude gliders," Siebold said in a statement.

Virgin Galactic space flights are the brainchild of Branson, who heads up the Virgin empire.

"This was one of the most exciting days in the whole history of Virgin," Branson said in a statement. "For the first time since we seriously began the project in 2004, I watched the world's first manned commercial spaceship landing on the runway at Mojave Air and Space Port and it was a great moment. Now, the sky is no longer the limit and we will begin the process of pushing beyond to the final frontier of space itself over the next year."

A seat on Branson's spaceship will cost $200,000 per person, with refundable deposits starting at $20,000. There is interest, however. Virgin Galactic has managed to sell 700 seats thus far.

In September, Boeing announced that it is partnering with Virginia-based Space Adventures to sell commercial space flights. The CST-100 spacecraft can fit seven people, and is expected to be operational by 2015.

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