Click to play videoNew Delhi: Rakesh Sharma, Kalpana Chawla, Sunita Williams — will you be the next Indian to go to space, considering space is just a two hour flight away and the ride costs just Rs 80 lakh?
You can now book yourself on a flight to outer space online or just walk into Virgin Galactic's office in New Delhi. And the huge price tag is not a deterrent as four Indians have already signed up for the tour.
Says Spazio Travels CEO, Nipun Goenka, "Mercedes, BMW and Rolls Royce all sell in India, but those are tangible products. What I am offering is an intangible, life-changing experience. Everyone, since they were children has wanted to be an astronaut. I think this will sell pretty well."
Space Ship One, the craft you will ride in, was the first privately designed vehicle to reach space, in 2004. Now backed by maverick Richard Branson, the team will start commercial flights in early 2010.
Says Virgin Galactic's Carolyn Wincer, "Anybody, from the age of 18 to 90 can go on this ride."
Strangely, other than a three-day training session in Mexico, Virgin Galactic offers no other preparation for your first space mission. And like all pioneering efforts, there's no insurance to cover your trip.
Here's what you can expect. Rocketing straight up at three times the speed of sound, you, five co-passengers and two pilots will first be crushed by 6Gs of gravitational force.
110 km above earth, you'll loosen seat belts to experience five minutes of pure weightlessness.
But if five minutes is not good enough, then you can shell out $25 million and the Russian Space Agency will let you stay at the International Space Station. Also, for $1,000, your cremated ashes could be sent to space for eternity.
Extreme sports lovers can try para-jumping from the edge of space early next year. But when your next flight takes you from London to Sydney in just 90 minutes, via space, you will know Space Tourism's really caught on.
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