I think most people would appreciate the opportunity to get away from it all. After all, we’ve been stuck inside due to the pandemic for quite some time and a little vacation would be just what the doctor ordered.
Then again, if you are somebody who likes your travel arrangements to be a bit more extreme, you may want to take a look at what Space Perspective has to offer. For the price of $125,000, that spaceflight company will take you to the edge of the atmosphere on a hot air balloon.
Space Perspective can be found in Florida and they have the desire to bring in a “new era in luxury travel experiences.” In order to do so, they will be launching a massive balloon supported with hydrogen and capable of transporting passengers to outer space. No, you will not be traveling to the moon or to the stars, but you will be at the top of the atmosphere here on earth.
In order to make the experience even more enjoyable, they will have a bar and for those who may have a little too much to drink, a bathroom is available.
You can prepare now for the launch that will take place from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in 2024. It will be a unique experience, unlike what you are accustomed to seeing with the space rockets launched from the ground and put a lot of stress on the astronauts. Rather than dealing with those G-forces, you will simply float up through the atmosphere in what is considered to be “a radically gentle voyage.”
Space Perspective held a news conference last year, in which the CEOs, Jane Poynter and Taber MacCallum talked about how Spaceship Neptune would be able to reach the maximum altitude of 100,000 feet after traveling for about two hours. That’s 18 miles for those who are interested. They have already had a successful test flight from Titusville Florida on June 18.
By now, you might be thinking about the Hindenburg and how it could be disastrous. They want to put your mind at ease, saying that they have modeled the Spaceship Neptune after many of the space balloons that are already being used by NASA successfully and have “flown for decades.” They also talk about how hydrogen is used by balloons around the world and no gas balloon flight failures have been recorded due to hydrogen issues going back to the 1700s.
They also said that floating through the atmosphere is a lot safer than rocket flight. In almost 100 recorded flights, there have been no space balloon accidents that involve humans and no balloon failures.
To put it in better perspective, if you want to hop on board Blue Origin, which is the commercial space endeavor set by Jeff Bezos, you will have to pay $28 million. That makes $125,000 seem like a drop in the bucket.
It would be interesting to take the flight and if I happen to come across a $125,000 windfall, I may just be heading the space.