A company called World View is planning to float passengers to "the edge of space"— about 20 miles into the sky — via balloon by the end of 2016.
And they've just announced that if you want to take a ride, you'll have to get yourself to Tucson.
In a statement, World View announced January 19 that Arizona's Pima County voted to go in on a public-private partnership with the company. Their brand new global headquarters will be based in Tucson, Arizona. All launches will lift off from the Spaceport Tucson launch pad.
While there is no real consensus on where exactly space begins, the International Astronautical Federation thinks it starts at the 100-kilometer mark — about 62 miles up. According to that definition, this 5-hour joy ride get you 1/3 of the way there.
It will also include cocktails, stunning views of the stars, the blackness of space, and the curvature of Earth, all for the hefty sum of $75,000 — about the price of a new entry-level Tesla.
Here's a peek at what it'll be like to float at an altitude of 100,000 feet, above 99% of Earth's atmosphere.
The World View campus will sit next to the Spaceport Tucson launch site, which will be Arizona's first space endeavor-devoted launch pad.
After arriving at the launch site, six passengers and two crew members would climb aboard the fully-pressurized Winnebago-sized capsule, which contains a bathroom and a refreshment bar.
Source: Popular Science.
The capsule offers 360-degree views and internet access, so you can share photos in real-time.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider