Page 18 - OCEAN BLUE - WINTER 2017

FROM THE CHAIRMAN

TTHOESRPAACCEE
I
f you’ve ever gazed up into a midnight sky with a litany of stars and
thought, what would it be like to travel into space? You can stop
wondering and start planning. Three major private spaceflight
companies confirmed that space travel is open for business as early as
next year. What are your seating and pricing options? Well, so far the rates aren’t
exactly competitive. We are talking a trip above the troposphere hurling towards
the Kármán line here.

Included here is a list of carriers which have the space to take you up if you have
the time and the money for the premium-priced ticket to ride.

Blue Origin’s New Shepard capsule (the company is owned by Amazon founder
Jeff Bezos) is a six-seater exhilarating 11 minutes from launch to landing. You
just have to make your way to Texas, where the company is based, for a day and
a half of basic training on how to breathe, emergency protocol and zero gravity
etiquette. It gives new meaning to “you’re invading my personal space” , doesn’t
it?

Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShip Two will launch out of New Mexico, where Virgin
Galactic is moving to next year. It’s a two-hour long trip, but you will need three
days to devote to training and a mere $250,000 U.S to reserve your seat. 500
people have already signed up for a first-class ticket to get closer to stars of the
celestial kind.

Boeing’s Starliner takes supplies to astronauts at the International Space Station,
but Boeing says it could also give tourists low-Earth orbit experiences. Five seats
are currently reserved for real-life space travelers (astronauts), and one seat for a
lucky tourist. So far nobody knows how pricey this once-in-a-lifetime experience
will be.

18 | www.OceanBlueWorld.com