Put your name down for a space flight
We are used to jetting off to Spain, France and further-off destinations like America and Australia – but there is still a long time to go before the final frontier, space, becomes a holiday hotspot.
However, people keen to go to the stars now are being given the chance to do so in name if not in body.
Organisers of the Ansari X-Prize, the competition to encourage non-government groups to open up space to commercial travel, have teamed up with the New Mexico Museum of Space History to send a package of people’s names into space aboard SpaceShipOne, one of the rivals for the prize.
In June, SpaceShipOne became the first private spacecraft to reach space’s official 100km boundary, and it is due to be launched again on September 29.
People wanting to send their names will be charged $10 (about £5.60) and will receive a certificate.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for the general public to participate in an innovative, new space product,” Jack Moore, from the museum, told BBC News.
Burt Rutan, SpaceShipOne’s designer, believes space tourism for thousands could happen within 15 years, with a ticket to the stars costing $30,000 (£17,000).
Report by News from Abroad
Phil Davies
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