14 DAY TRIAL // A California-based company called XCOR Aerospace is set to take people for a flight into space for as low as $95,000, less than half the price demanded by their competitors from Virgin Galactic. Although the conditions are not as good, the price and the view are definitely worth it. The tests will begin in 2010 and the first flight is expected to be performed by 2011, but the company has already made reservations for 20 flights, the first of which will have a London-based Danish passenger aboard.
Rick Searfoss, a retired Air Force colonel and test pilot, as well as a former NASA shuttle commander, will be the one to pilot the spacecraft that looks and flies like a plane, albeit his last flight into space was ten years ago. The privately-funded craft is called the Lynx Suborbital Vehicle and has two seats (one for the pilot). It runs on kerosene and liquid oxygen, and it will take tourists about 60 kilometers (37 miles) up in the sky from the Mojave Air and Space Port.
"You take off quickly, climb up at a 65 or 75 degree angle. After about two minutes, the sky starts to turn colors, then black. You have another minute of (engine) burn, then you coast to the apogee of your path. You'll feel a minute or so of weightlessness, then the pilot will flip the plane over and you'll see Earth's horizon and the atmosphere below," explained Douglas Graham from XCOR, quoted by Discovery. "We believe […] it's almost a philosophical change that happens once you've seen the Earth from this level. It will be a life-changing experience," he added.
"There will be a level of preparation so people know what to expect," shared Searfoss. Comparing Lynx to SpaceShipTwo, Virgin Atlantic's luxury shuttle, Searfoss stated that "Flying with XCOR is going to be more like 'The Right Stuff'. This is not like ultra-first class on Virgin Atlantic". SpaceShipTwo offers seven extra seats besides the pilot's and room to float around, requires no spacesuits, while also flying higher (100 km or 62 miles above the Earth) and for a longer period. But it costs $200,000 and is a bit more about luxury than about the real experience.
On the other hand, Lynx doesn't need a launch pad or a tow for lift-off, but requires the tourists to wear pressurized suits and be strapped down for the whole voyage. So, if you can afford it, make your choice soon, before people start to rush in.