Space tourism - a snip at $US 200,000
Published 23 June, 2008, 19:21
A new experimental Spaceship Two craft may make space tourism more accessible. It has been developed by Virgin, the company of British billionaire Richard Branson. He is offering the cosmic flights for $US 200,000 and tickets are selling well. Some 85,000 applications have already been filled in, including eleven from Russia.
Now the dream of reaching the stars could be one step closer as a private British-American enterprise Virgin Galactic is actively trying to promote space tourism.
“This is about enabling tens of thousands of people from all around the world to get that unique astronaut experience. Looking out to the blackness of space. Experiencing zero gravity,” said Stephen Attenborough, Virgin Galactic Commercial Director.
The Virgin spaceships are designed to carry six passengers and two pilots to an altitude of about 110 km for a five-minute sub-orbital flight.
The price tag on this space adventure is $US 200.,00, compared with the $US 20 million that tourists have to pay today.
Previously for budding space travellers there used to be only one option.
In 2001, the Russian space agency was the first to blast off with Denis Tito as the amateur cosmonaut. After five successful tourist trips into orbit, it has a monopoly on the market.
Experts say the sub-orbital flights by Virgin Galactic is a completely different experience from that of the Russian space agency.
“Russians propose 10 days of orbital flight. People fly to the ISS and work there. Here the people will go in zero gravity just for a few minutes and perhaps take few shots of the Earth and that's it,” said Pavel Sharov, editor of Novosti Cosmonavtiki magazine.
Virgin Galactic is planning to roll out their first passenger spacecraft in the end of next month. Dozens of tests are then to follow before the first passenger flight takes place.
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