NEWS – Space. The final frontier. Those words were uttered at the beginning of every episode of the original Star Trek TV series. I’ve always wanted to see the Earth from space. As I have previously mentioned, my teachers told me I should be an astronaut since all I did was take up space in the classroom. Well, that dream could become a reality, sort of, as soon as 2024, for a price.
Space Perspective wants to take you on a six-hour journey above this blue marble, including two hours at 100,000 feet for the sum of $125,000 USD. Did I mention that your spaceship hangs under a balloon?
OK – it’s not just any balloon. It’s called the Spaceballoon! To be fair, NASA has been using whopping balloons to send instruments into space for years. This is an extension of that, but rather than a telescope or test equipment hanging under the balloon, it will be eight space explorers plus a pilot in the Spaceship Neptune capsule.
What if the balloon breaks? NASA thought of that many years ago as well.
Between the balloon and the capsule, they place a semi-deployed parachute, the reserve descent system, that can safely return the capsule to earth. Like the balloon, this is NASA-proven tech that has been in use for a long time.
The capsule will have eight plush recliners facing out, all around the capsule. The non-glare windows are designed to maximize your photography experience. The capsule will include a beverage station, restroom, and of course, wi-fi so you can live-stream the whole thing.
The entire trip will take six hours and include two hours at the 100,000-foot level. For the math-challenged, that equates to just under 19-miles, far less than the 50-mile altitude needed to legitimately call yourself an astronaut or the 62-mile altitude to say that you have been in space. But, 100,000 feet is nearly three times higher than the 35,000-foot altitude where you can see the curvature of the Earth. No matter how you cut it, that’s pretty cool.
One real benefit of this type of flight is that it will be smooth. Since there is no rocket, there will be no push into the seat and terrifying shaking and G-forces we’ve seen portrayed in movies. This will just be a smooth-as-butter ascent and descent, dare I call it, a luxury flight.
In addition to your six-hour flight, Space Perspective promises the following:
- Curated invitation-only events to build bonds that will last a lifetime
- Sneak peeks of major reveals like Spaceship Neptune interior
- VIP access to technical milestone events, like future test flights and first piloted test flights
- An astronaut to guide you on your pre-flight journey
- Behind-the-scenes tours of NASA and where your spaceship is being built
- Exclusive updates on progress towards your flight date
If you’ve got $125K burning a hole in your pocket, head on over to Space Perspective. A fully-refundable $1,000 grabs a spot. You can even reserve an entire capsule for your eight-member crew. They are also taking larger deposits for the first 25 flights – you have to send them a message to book those.
So, what do you think? If I start a GoFundMe, can I get 125,000 people to send me $1? Or maybe 25,000 people to send me $5? I’d go in a heartbeat!
