Ross King: How an astronomical hangover sent Sir Richard Branson into space

It’s remarkable I ended up in television and not as an astronaut.

After all, every time I got a report card in school, the teacher wrote “definite space cadet” on the back.

Although when you think about it, when I broadcast from LA via satellite, I’m also getting beamed out into space at the same time.

So, if an invading alien armada turns up on the doorstep of our solar system, I’ll have to take my fair share of the blame. Along with Piers Morgan.

I spoke to a proper intergalactic spaceman last week – Sir Richard Branson.

He joined me at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center where he was celebrating his 69th birthday.

Richard is one of our best-loved public figures now, and his dream of space travel means he wants to send hundreds of people into space every year.

And it’s all thanks to a few too many shandies!

“When I was 19 years old, I had my birthday and had a horrendous hangover,” Richard told me. “And two days later I found myself sitting with my parents and sisters watching our little black and white TV set and watching the moon landing.

“It was just an extraordinary moment, and so beautifully crafted as well.

“And to be able to then go outside and look up at the moon and know those people were actually standing on the moon as one was looking up at it.

“And realising the moon wasn’t made of cheese!

“That just inspired me as it did thousands and thousands of other kids.

“And you know, in the end, I thought I would do something about it and start a space line, because it was obvious the governments were not going to put you or me into space.”

Richard has created Virgin Galactic, which aims to turn ordinary people into space tourists.

“I not only want people to be astronauts, we definitely will be making hopefully hundreds of new astronauts,” added Richard.

“There’s only 500 people who have been to space, and I think Virgin Galactic is capable of putting something like 500 people up into space every year.

“So it’s an extraordinarily exciting time.

“And, obviously, we’ve had a great year putting the first five people up into space, and it couldn’t have gone better.”

As for talk about the moon landing being faked, it’s something Richard laughs off.

“The moon landing 100% definitely happened,” he said. “One of the most amusing moments of my life was when this journalist went up to Buzz Aldrin outside a French club, and said to him, you never went to space, and Buzz Aldrin just knocked the man out.

“I thought that guy deserved everything that was coming to him!

“If you’d gone through all that training and all that risk, and to be told it was all fake? I think he deserved it.”