2 October 1997
News - Other (None)
Zero-g and high altitude trips offered to ambitious tourists
Space Adventures Inc. Offers Bookable Adventures in Space Now
by Peter Wainwright
Company Press Release

Do away with gravity in a zero gravity aircraft, or climb to the outer rim of the Earth's atmosphere in a Russian MiG 25 -- two giant ``Steps to Space''(TM) that can be booked today with Space Adventures Inc.

Joining forces in the new venture are Virginia-based Omega World Travel, Connecticut-based Quark Expeditions and a prestigious Advisory Board including four former astronauts.

Four "Steps to Space" will usher adventurous spirits into their own personal space age -- with three available immediately.

Terrestrial Tours(TM)

Space Adventures has developed a series of innovative programs to immerse the curious in space science. From launching their own ten-foot high rocket to a VIP tour of Star City, the heart of the Russian space program, participants are treated as true insiders. Prices start as low as $750 per person.

Zero G (Weightless) Flight

Space Adventures currently offers a golden opportunity to "defy gravity" by achieving "zero gravity" in parabolic flight. In Star City, Russia, participants board an IL-76 MDK, a specially modified jet used by the Russian Space Agency to prepare its cosmonauts for space travel.

Guides will be former U.S. astronauts and other qualified personnel. Passengers will float through the 60-foot, padded aircraft cabin, practicing rolls, spins and flips or joining in weightless games. A normal flight series will include from 12 to 20 parabolas, providing up to ten minutes of weightlessness.

Prices from $5,500 per person include the zero gravity flight, transportation between Moscow and Star City, and security clearance.

Journeys to the Edge of Space

Today it is possible to soar to the edge of space, rocketing at about 2-1/2 times the speed of sound (Mach 2.5) to over 70,000 feet above the Earth. At this altitude, 99 percent of the Earth's atmosphere is beneath one. The adventure begins at Zhukovsky Air Field, where a MiG25 "Foxbat" will be waiting. Soaring to an altitude twice as high as commercial jet liners fly, participants will behold the majestic curvature of the Earth and the infinite, star-filled darkness above.

Prices from $11,900 per person include one MiG 25 flight, transportation between Moscow and Zhukovsky Air Field and all necessary flight equipment.

Going Sub-Orbital

The race is on to design a spacecraft capable of carrying passengers on sub-orbital flights beyond the Earth's atmosphere to "astronaut altitude" of 62 miles. With the first sub-orbital flights capable of carrying paying passengers expected to occur three to five years from now, Space Adventures Inc. is now accepting advance reservations to be secured with $6,000 deposits to be held in protected escrow accounts at First Union Bank of McLean, Virginia (refundable at any time except for a $1,000 processing fee). Estimated price: $75,000-$100,000 per person per sub-orbital flight.

For further information, contact Space Adventures at 9411 Lee Highway, Suite J, Circle Towers, Fairfax, VA, 22031; toll free 888-85-SPACE; or visit its website at www.spaceadventures.com.
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Peter Wainwright 2 October 1997
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