Looks like Sir Richard has once again demonstrated his brilliant insights into what people want (the hallmark of Virgin Group success, I think).

Would-be astronauts also have shown up at Virgin’s London office with checks in hand, he added. The cost for the two-hour flight, five minutes of which will be spent weightless, hovering above Earth, is approximately $190,000.

"We had about 185 people come to our office. One of them was Trevor Beattie, creative director for TBWA. That’s one of the largest advertising agencies in the United Kingdom. He showed up at our office with a check, and we said we weren’t accepting checks yet," Whitehorn said.