>>>>Space Travel Is On The Horizon<<<<

Here comes the new era of space travel. Data from public opinion polls indicate that nearly fifty million people would like to visit space. In fact as many as two million people each year would take the journey beyond the outer limits of Earth’s gravity. The public fascination with space travel means the potential development of a space travel tourism industry with revenues that could amount to $10 billion or more every year.

Therefore, really it is not hard to understand the interest in commercial space travel by private business. In fact, more than six companies are working to make commercial space travel a reality. However, the company that is closest in becoming the industry pioneer is Virgin Galactic. The company is a well funded joint stake of Richard Branson, Burt Rutan, and Paul Allen.

Eager future space travelers should consider that the development of Virgin Galactic's Space Ship Two is nearly completed and could be performing test flights by the end of the year into space. The spacecrafts successful predecessor, Spaceship One, last reached space on October 4, 2004, winning the $10m Ansari X Prize. The larger and more powerful, Space Ship Two, is being built to accommodate two pilots and six passengers. Indeed, there will be enough room on board to experience the freedom of movement in the zero gravity of space. Initially, Virgin Galactic has ordered five spaceships to begin the business of commercial space travel and tourism.The Spaceships will launch from the Virgin Galactic spaceport which is currently under construction in the state of New Mexico. The spaceport will be the first commercial space launch and control facility in the United States. The $200m spaceport project is designed to cover 27 square miles. It will feature a mission control station, runways, and the Virgin Galactic headquarters. Much of the facility will be built underground.

Customers who want to experience commercial space travel have been lining up for tickets. 75 people have already paid the entire $200,000 fee. William Shatner, Sigourney Weaver, and Paris Hilton are reported to be among the early space tourists while hundreds of others have put down more than thirty million dollars in deposits to reserve their seat for a flight on Virgin’s Spaceships. However, the initial experience of commercial space flight will be brief and it will not exactly represent a bargain ride. Passengers will spend just under 10 minutes in space at an altitude of only 65 miles, high enough to experience free fall and to see the curvature of the earth.Of course, the creation of the new space travel tourism industry comes with government regulations.

Spaceports, flights to space, indicate that a new era of commercial space travel and tourism is on the horizon,,,,,

---To bE CoNtInUeD(๏̯͡๏)