Company offers ride to the Edge of Space

[Still Waters]

If the thought of a rocket ride to space -- or the $250,000 price tag to get there -- leaves you feeling queasy, an Arizona firm thinks it has a gentler, less expensive alternative.

World View, an offshoot of privately owned Paragon Space Development Corp., is developing a balloon-launched, near-space ride for $75,000 -- less than one-third the current cost to fly on Virgin Galactic's suborbital SpaceShipTwo.

http://news.discover...pace-131022.htm

[seeder]

Blimey, I bet their insurance will be sky high too Not sure the landing would be as gentle as the vid in my link implies though

http://www.space.com/23289-75k-edge-of-space-balloon-ride-gets-faa-approval-animation.html

[DONTEATUS]

They Will fill the seats you can bet ! I would do that ! Its Sir Bransons that's got a few high risk points . But What the Hey ! We all gotta go sometime ! Might as well Do it doing something you Like !

[Calibeliever]

If I can afford it, I'm going!

[Ajunkie1]

why how much they saying

[DONTEATUS]

why how much they saying

75K A person !

[seeder]

75K A person !

yeh the big clue was in the OP

[paperdyer]

OK some questions:

1. What happens if the balloon breaks? - Answer Kiss your ass good-bye!

2. Don't these guys know that the helium supply is close to depletion? Helium is "mined" and can't be man-made.

3. Will the flight attendants get hazard pay?

[Heroic Bishop]

two phrases that should not be heard together....companies and space travel, not only are the prices ridiculous and offer humanity nothing, beyond a few vacuous celebrities with more money than sense. What ever happened to the governments of the world exploring the great unknown out there......seems they are too busy worrying about border disputes and oil prices planet-side and leaving the door open for the capitalists...shame really...well I hope Lebron James, Tom Brady, Kim Kardashian and Richard Branson enjoy their trip....

[Waspie_Dwarf]

two phrases that should not be heard together....companies and space travel,

Why not? I'm sure that in the early days there were those that were saying that two phrases that should not be heard together were companies and air travel. Commercial air travel has gone on to revolutionise modern society, who's to say commercial space travel won't

not only are the prices ridiculous and offer humanity nothing, beyond a few vacuous celebrities with more money than sense.

Define ridiculous.The prices are appropriate for a fledgling industry with high start up costs. The fact that Virgin Galactic has sold more than 600 tickets suggests that they are not pricing themselves out of the market.

Beside the prices of these flights, whilst not being within reach for most people are not so high that they are for multi-millionaires and billionaires alone. They mark a huge fall in the cost of space tourism as previously Space Adventures and their trips to the ISS were they only fare-paying way of experiencing spaceflight, and that would set you back $20 million. Seven people have already paid this and flown to the ISS.

Already we can see a huge step in space tourism, from a handful of mega-rich to hundreds of wealthy. I think it is possible (maybe even probable) that in my life time (and I'm in my late 40's already) spaceflight will be available to the common man.

Air travel was prohibitively expensive when it started, except for "a few vacuous celebrities with more money than sense" but those "vacuous celebrities" paved the way for air travel to become available to the average working person.

Who are you to say this offers nothing to humanity? Are you anti-holidays for all of humanity or just the rich? Recreation is part of the human experience (for those of us lucky enough to live in the developed world any way).

What ever happened to the governments of the world exploring the great unknown out there......seems they are too busy worrying about border disputes and oil prices planet-side and leaving the door open for the capitalists...shame really...

And how is the lack of space exploration by governments the fault of the commercial space industry?

well I hope Lebron James, Tom Brady, Kim Kardashian and Richard Branson enjoy their trip....

So do I, except I'm not being sarcastic.

Edited October 28, 2013 by Waspie_Dwarf

[Peter B]

two phrases that should not be heard together....companies and space travel, not only are the prices ridiculous and offer humanity nothing, beyond a few vacuous celebrities with more money than sense. What ever happened to the governments of the world exploring the great unknown out there......seems they are too busy worrying about border disputes and oil prices planet-side and leaving the door open for the capitalists...shame really...well I hope Lebron James, Tom Brady, Kim Kardashian and Richard Branson enjoy their trip....

We-e-ell, Spanish exploration of the Americas and Portuguese exploration of Africa and Asia back at the end of the 15th century were both commercial enterprises. Columbus's first expedition only happened because an entrepreneur stepped in with a cash injection (in the expectation of a personal profit).

Edited October 28, 2013 by Peter B

[Heroic Bishop]

Lol thank you for your opinions on what I said, and some er....interesting comparisons, but I stand by every word I said.

[DONTEATUS]

I will bet to say ,That with-in a few years after Virgin gets actually up and running with His trips we will see others get into this industry !

THe Balloon will be a safe way to see sorta the edge of our sphere !

And as for the danger If the Balloon pops Thats why Its got a Chute ! All auto indeed !