Office of Commercial Space
Transportation. Where your journey
begins has yet to be determined, but
Poynter is keen to point out that Arizona is
likely to be one of the first lift-off locations.
However, wherever you start, you will land
around 480km (300 miles) from where you
first took off, although the distance
depends on the weather.Room with a view
Passengers board a capsule without
spacesuits and are free to roam. There
will be the usual facilities such as seats
and a toilet, but there’s also a bar. After
all, the total flight experience from lift-off
to landing can last five to six hours. The
aim is to make the experience as simple
as getting on a commercial airliner. So
that means no medical exams and no
special extensive training. The only
preparation it’s claimed you will need
beforehand is to think and learn about the
experience. “There are no real physical
requirements to travelling in high-altitude
balloons,” says Inggs.
The capsule is due to be built next year,
but it’s not yet clear what it will be made of.
Poynter believes one of the most likely
materials will be aluminium, just like the
fuselage of an aeroplane. After lift-off,
it ascends for around 1.5 to 2 hours,
depending on the weather. The balloon
filled with helium is lighter than the
surrounding air, which is composed largely
of nitrogen.
As it ascends, the density of the
surrounding air drops while the heliumTIME
COST
BLOON
TIME
COST
VIRGIN
US$238,000
US$71,000
US$167,000
15 mins
120 mins
180 mins
TIME
COST
WORLD VIEW
World View’s balloon-borne competitor: BloonAstronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria, president of
the Commercial Spaceflight FederationThe 4-tonne capsule
will be guided back to a
pre-defined landing spotHOW MUCH!?
The cost of a ticket to view the planet
and the amount of time you’ll spend at
your spectacular destinationPHOTO: WORLD VIEW ENTERPRISES, BLOON, NASA, XCOR AEROSPACE/MIKE MASSEESPACE TOURISM