Back in September, two things happened relating to space travel for the private sector. First, I posted about the proposed 2010 opening of Spaceport America in New Mexico. Then, I promised my wife that we would be on a flight into outer space on September 17, 2017. This week, Virgin Galactic officially unveiled their commercial ship, SpaceShip Two.
I nabbed the above image from OhGizmo!, who had this to say:
SpaceShipTwo is designed to ferry 6 civilian passengers and 2 crewmembers 68 miles above the surface of the earth, where they’ll spend a few precious minutes in weightlessness, drinking in the view, before descending back to the ground at a peak force of 6 gravities over 20 seconds. All for just $200,000.
That’s about the price I figured these trips would start at, but barely getting a peek from space for that price is still an “I did that” trip for the super wealthy. This is why I set my proposed travel date to 2017. I figured ten years gives any companies involved plenty of time to get their ducks in a row. By “ducks”, I mean:
- - Work out any kinks so I’m not exploding on launch
- - Find ways to bring the price down
- - Find ways to increase the experience
- - More frequent (convenient) flights
By 2017, I think the experience should be much more substantial, we’ll get to take off from from the new Spaceport America, and the price tag should actually fit within my budget. I feel like a little kid who’s parents just came back with the first of the Christmas presents, only Christmas is still nine and a half years away and I’ll have to pay probably $25,000-$50,000 to open my present. Still, thinking about taking that trip makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. Just when I thought I couldn’t be more excited about it, here’s a video simulating what the trip should be like:
So here’s a question for you. Supposing a trip into space on SpaceShip Two in 2017 would cost you $25,000, you had that saved up, and the trip included a full orbit around earth, would you go?
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