Virgin Galactic's Richard Branson Flying Own Rocket to Space 

TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES, N.M. - After a lifetime of yearning to fly in space, Virgin Galactic's Richard Branson was poised to blast off aboard his own rocket ship Sunday in his boldest, grandest adventure yet. 

The thrill-seeking billionaire joined five company employees also assigned to the test flight to the edge of space high above the southern desert of New Mexico.  Ever the showman, Branson dramatically counted down the days to liftoff via Twitter. He viewed the brief up-and-down trip as a confidence builder — not only for the 600-plus people already holding reservations and waiting in the wings, but potential space tourists willing to plunk down a few hundred-thousand dollars for a shot at space.  The London-born founder of the Virgin Group, who turns 71 in a week, wasn't supposed to fly until later this summer. But he assigned himself to an earlier flight after Blue Origin's Jeff Bezos announced plans to ride his own rocket into space from West Texas on July 20.