LIFE-CHANGING ADVENTURE – SPACE TRAVEL

Jumping off cliffs and airplanes, diving with the sharks, climbing Mt Everest… thrilling adventures like these have proved to be extremely attracting for many ‘dare-devils’. They seem to never get enough of the adrenaline escapades and long only for more thrill and intense experiences. Well, the great news is, there is an ultimate adventure accessible to all who are willing to spend large sums of money to secure them this unique experience. Twenty years ago it seemed impossible for ‘regular’ humans to travel into space; however with the technological progress of our time and the increasing interest in space tourism, it seems like a new era is approaching; an era of trips to the Moon and the orbit. There are a few possibilities for potential space tourists. The very expensive yet unforgettable trip is offered by the U.S. space tourism firm Space Adventures. The cost of these has recently risen from the original $25 million to $30 million, mainly due to the fallen dollar. Two multimillionaires have already booked their seats and in 2008 and 2009 will fly to the international space station aboard a Russian Soyuz spaceship. The prices are expected to rise even more, finally reaching $40 million. There are already a dozen perspective space tourists in the process of reserving their flights. NASA has already launched projects aimed to construct a next-generation spacecraft, Orion. It seems like within a dozen years, more and more adventurers will get the opportunity of a lifetime and travel to space. The Virgin Galactic has not been left behind. All one needs to do is pay US$ 200,000, a three-day astronaut training and the nerve to fly aboard the orbit on board the SpaceShipTwo, a new six-passenger commercial space vehicle. The flights last 2,5 hours and will reach 112 km above the Earth’s surface. This new space-travel package seems much more accessible and even though the tourists will spend a limited time in space, they are still rewarded the life-changing experience of observing our planet from above.