For the rich sci-fi lover who did not make it to the passenger list on Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, here is a chance to board a rocket ship. A brand-new Arizona-based travel agency is selling front-row seats on an XCOR Aerospace rocket plane that will soar more than halfway to outer space, for $95,000 apiece on their Lynx Mark I rocket ship. Though the Lynx Mark I rocket ship hasn’t had its first test flight yet, this first-generation Lynx is designed to take off and land like a regular airplane, and fly as high as 38 miles (61 kilometers) which is short of the internationally accepted boundary of outer space (100 kilometers, or 62 miles), as well as the U.S. Air Force’s lower standard for spaceflight (50 miles). So, for those who don’t see it as a major difference, this might be a close experience for space travel, better then a simulating experience. Charles Lurio, writer/publisher of The Lurio Report said, “The thrills on the Lynx are meant to be out of this world: The rocket-powered rise should result in about 90 seconds of in-your-seat weightlessness at the top, and passengers could experience up to 4 G’s of acceleration on the way down. The difference here is that Virgin Galactic’s passengers would get a longer dose of zero-G, with the ability to unstrap themselves from their seats and float around.”
Deposits have already been put down for 22 flights, with the first commercial ride going to Danish-born, London-based investment banker Per Wimmer. Reportedly, the test flights will begin in 2010 once the company gets an experimental permit for those test flights with an actual ride to follow in 2011. Andrew Nelson, XCOR’s chief operating officer, reports that 22 customers have signed up for tickets, based on pre-announcement word of mouth.

Via: MSNBC371969